Category: Reading Reflections

If we are honest with ourselves, I doubt any of us chose to pursue the MA or MAHR program because historians are in high demand, making six-figure salaries. Our own school places the majority of efforts (after football) on the STEM programs. We are here because we have a passion for history that we hope to someday be able to translate into a purpose (job). The MA or MAHR is a tool that can be used to show a certain level of dedication to a potential employer and also serves as a means to set us apart from those who only have a BA. Is it a guarantee of future employment, either in history or outside of the field? Of course not, but it is one way I can give myself a leg up on the competition in the job market.

As with last week’s readings, I found the ones from the AHA to be the most beneficial as they moved beyond the job titles and buzz words to provide more detail on what a position in those various areas might look like. This information provides a bit of a roadmap for students to help tailor their education to their future goals. It’s easy to get caught in the academia vs. museum mindset so it is helpful to see the variety of possible careers that draw on history.

Possibly, but probably not.  I’ve had a lot of jobs in a lot of different fields.  Here’s what I have learned throughout my career.  If you think the game is over, then it is.  When you are looking for a job you have to keep going.  If you believe that you won’t succeed then that belief will be apparent to anyone who might possibly hire you.  Lead with a positive attitude and you have a much better chance for success.  Companies don’t care about your classroom experience or what your degree is in (unless they’re looking for an engineer, then probably not going to hire a history major).  What businesses care about it value.  Do you have it and can you give it to them.  Sell them your value by telling them what you can bring to their table.  Yes the job market is tight right now but all those people who were writing about the bleak job market for historians have a job, in a field pertaining to history!  It can be done.  It might require making some sacrifices, but if you really want to work in a museum then approach your job search like an adventure, not a chore.  Start networking.  Meet people who work in museums.  Volunteer, hang out, phone curators once a week, fetch coffee, offer to bring a hammer and nails when they are building something.  Do whatever it takes to make yourself memorable.  Eventually something will open up and they might remember you.  I have found that when most people say that something can’t be done what they really mean is that it will be hard and it will be scary.  If you truly want it then find a way to make it happen.  That said, sometimes life hands us opportunities that we didn’t even know we wanted until they were right in front of us.  I think that is what these articles are saying.  Be open to other possibilities while you are pursuing your dreams.

Jim, I agree with your analysis of the article “What Employers Seek in Public History Graduates.”  I think that classroom experience is valuable.  It expands knowledge and helps people learn how to think.  When searching out a job hands on job experience is twice as important.  Employers want to know that the person they are going to hire can apply their classroom experience to the task at hand.  The only way that happens is through experience.  This is why the catch 22 of “can’t get a job without experience, can’t get experience without a job” exists.  The only exception would be if you are chasing an academic career.

While I can perfectly understand why this weeks readings might not be as useful to others in our program, I found them quite helpful. In my undergraduate history program I learned about various eras in extreme detail but never participated in internships or volunteered at historical institutions. I watched my political science, social work, and psychology friends work in their internships while I continued to write papers. While I don’t regret anything about my undergraduate education, I do wish that an internship had been included or at least a course including some of the different items discussed by Beatty and Stroh. Jim made the point that the percentages presented by the Dept. of Labor were not particularly in our favor as historians and I think that history students need to be given the tools to get ahead of their peers aiming for the same jobs. As Graduate students we need to be unafraid of fighting for internships.

Stroh mentions what he looks for when hiring: “When hiring, I seek passion, positivity, and energy. I expect a service orientation, and a smile.  I crave individuals who are curious and want to learn, but more importantly, those who take action on these intentions. I seek people who have confidence, courage, and faith, and who are willing to take risks.” While many of us may not have any problem displaying these features in public, applying for jobs online do little to show our personalities. USAJobs.gov occasionally has a job that I will apply for, but selling myself online is difficult. I have to be very intentional in my pursuit of internships and jobs with phone calls and personal interactions. Including different items discussed in this weeks readings will only aid my interaction and search for positions. After gaining my Masters I will certainly take this weeks advice and pursue my career through (hopefully) more successful venues.

 

Doom and gloom, that seems to be an underlying theme in many articles that discuss the potential job market for historians. While other professions may have the greater potential for a larger job market, it seems to me that many individuals who have spent the time and money to acquire a degree in a field such as history are there for their passion. The downside to going for one’s passion is it does not guarantee you a job. I think that is why many of the professors at Boise State promote students, especially history students, to think outside the box when it comes to how to apply your career and yourself to the career market. On the upside of the doom and gloom theme present in some of the articles that discuss it, they did show predictions in job growth in line with other professional fields. Some of the issues present in the career field for historians are issues that we have discussed in class. One being how the potential number of applicants often outnumbers the level of openings present within the market.

One of the greatest benefits that this week’s readings gave was what it potentially took to obtain and maintain a job in the field of history. These articles serve as catalysts to prepare those with an interest in obtaining a job in the field of history. It discusses education, training, and experience. The articles even go into what potential employers seek for in their future employees. Reading these articles shows how important it is to project oneself out into their desired field of employment. Through active participation, history graduates can gain the necessary experience to work in the field through internships and volunteering. Also joining history societies shows potential employers a desire that the individual displays for history. I think when you start to vigorously pursue your career in history, you must be realistic about it. It is highly doubtful that one will obtain their dream job or dream location for a job right away, but having the knowledge of what must be done in order to obtain your dream prepares oneself to undertake the journey to achieve it.

At first glance the readings for this week seemed rather limited in scope. Although I appreciate that most people go into public history in order to work in museums or archives or in a related field, the training public historians receive can be applied to so many different fields. Knowing that I do no plan on taking the conventional route, I tried to approach this week’s reading with an open mind. I also decided to tackle the list of hyperlinks backwards, just to mix things up a bit.

Out of all of the links, I ended up spending the most time reading the forums on Versatile Ph. D. While I have certainly enjoyed my time in school, I have always known that I am not interested in working in academia. For that reason it was encouraging to see a site that promotes non-academic career paths.  I appreciated that they offered realistic advice for young professionals who are trying to decide what to do after graduate school. I also appreciated that they acknowledged that the job market is less than ideal. While it is fine to list statistics (such as those found on the BLS links) to highlight positive growth in the field or to try to make a dismal job market seem better than it is, we all have to be realistic. And I am not trying to sound pessimistic about the situation. On the contrary, I think having insight into the experiences of people who are in similar situations as me makes the prospects of looking for work and building a career more manageable. I know what I am up against. I can learn from the mistakes other have made. It is also nice knowing that if I make mistakes along the way or face unforeseen challenges that I can rely on the advice and support of such a large online community of people (who, by the way practice polite, professional, and engaging discourse!) Plus, having this type of knowledge is much more comforting that reading statistics saying that the “job outlook for historians from 2010-2020 is expected to grow by 18% (about as fast as average)” and that they hope to add 700 new positions in the next seven years. These numbers tell me nothing about my chances of landing a career where I will be able to use my skills and knowledge as a historian.

After realizing that I do not want to be some number used by statisticians to build a façade of false optimism, I read the blog by Bob Beatty “What Employers Seek in Public History Graduates (Part 1): An online discussion in preparation for NCPH 2013.” What I ultimately took away from this article seems to be the take-away message of the semester. History is about people and relationships. I found the mention of the importance of collaboration within the field of public history very intriguing. I know that people in all fields are pushing for us to “work across the aisle” and seek solidarity. And I do agree that this is a necessary and in many instances rewarding part of life. But with any venture (even the solitary work encouraged within academia) you have to be smart about it. Protect yourself, your ideas, and your work. This is a habit that needs to start in college, and at the very least in graduate school! If legal agreements were required of all undergraduate/graduate group projects it would make for more streamlined collaboration later on in life. In essence these legal protections (copyright agreements, etc.) would become part of the assumed etiquette of collaboration.

My 2 cents:

I have a love/hate relationship with the BLS occupational outlook pages. Every time I read these statistics I get a warm feeling that “hey thats not too bad.” But then I see the little line that says “there are 4,000 jobs in 2010, 57 percent of which were in government.” My math degree taught me 4000 jobs out of 300 million people is bad ratio. 4000 historians. That’s it. 6100 Archivists. So then I start searching other fields…accountants….there are 1,216,900 accountants. Median pay is $61,690 per year! Why did I pick this field?!? Then I settle down, or more accurately my wife calms me down, and I remember nobody tells an accountant “Wow I wish I could read historic documents all day, this must be a cool place to work.”

I think the truth is there are very few jobs that are quantifiably “historian” or “archivist” or “curator,” BUT there are many more jobs that are very close and just as fun. There is no set path to these types of jobs. I think you just have to stick with the field and if you’re good at your work you’ll find something to do. If you’re not good at history, you might end up just being an accountant…and make double the salary.

I take issue with the blog posts from History @ Work.

All of us chose to continue our education probably in hopes it would put us ahead of the curve in the stack of applications for our future job. The most important element of the MAHR program, in my opinion, is the internships. Internships give students added lines on a resume that show employers they applied their education in the “real world.” The blog post “What employers seek in public history graduates” suggests this real world experience is not as important as time in the classroom. I whole heartedly disagree. I think the author’s point is the student’s primary goal should be to learn how to do good history. While this is true, the question he was answering was “what employers seek in public history graduates.” The answer to that question is flat-out: INTERNSHIPS. He even admits “(I have noticed this has changed since then, as there is an Internship requirement in the program today).”

I have participated in many searches for archivist and librarians at Boise State, I have also served on a few hiring committees for archivists. The strongest resumes had at least one internship. An impressive internship can make up for work experience if you’re trying to enter into the field.

There is of course one very important caveat: published work can in some cases trump internships. Having your work published can show employers that you do have the educational background desired. It is strange the authors did not mention the importance of published work…

It seems to me these blog posts were more for higher ed program developers trying to design programs with limited budgets and time institutions have to provide internships for students. Both used a sheen of advice to graduate students to mask the real argument about keeping public history programs more like their traditional counterpart. They put all the responsibility on the graduate students (joining professional associations, contributing to the community, etc.) and argue for continuing program’s tradition role as classroom teacher.

I say don’t let your public history program off the hook! They might say their job is just to teach at you, it is the student’s job to find non-school based experience. Don’t believe it. Find as many ways to blur the lines between professional and educational work. I for one, don’t have time to wait until I’m done with school to start my professional work. The more times I can get a resume reader to say “was this a classroom assignment or did he do this for work?” the better.

Some might get discouraged from the statistics shown by the BLS, but I was not one of them. I didn’t pick this degree because I wanted to be guaranteed a job, I chose it because I loved it. Although, I am certain that my career will be historical in some way, there are a lot of ways to go about that. As the American Historical Association showed, historian can find jobs in museums, publishing, academia, contracting, archives, preservation, etc. There are a lot of options for us, so we shouldn’t ever get discouraged and depressed when we hear it’s competitive. Getting a job anywhere is going to be competitive, it’s not unique to historians. Staying positive is going to get you a job a lot easier than if you are discouraged about it. Some of the readings actually encouraged me, such as the American Historical Association. Academia is one of the areas I am interested in finding a job, but the section on consultants and contractors really caught my attention. Working for the various entertainment outlets would be ideal. Also hiring myself out as a contractor to do historical research was another career which interested me. So the options are very open for historians in my opinion. Competition just means they are not going to allow anyone to get the job. You have to be proficient in your field, and you have to be passionate and dedicated. Competition weeds the less passionate, the less proficient, and the less dedicated out, so in a sense we should not get so discouraged from it.

 

The short articles from Stroh and Beatty provided good tips on how to achieve the goal of getting a historical job. Stroh said he looked for a positive outlook and enthusiasm. He wanted to hire those that wanted to learn. Companies don’t hire the down and outer, they hire the positive learner who wants to contribute, not complain. This is where being humble comes into play. Even experts in their fields don’t know every single thing about that particular field, every day is a learning process. I agree with Stroh that enthusiasm and a desire to learn are good things to look for when hiring someone for a historical job. I find that lots of people who do not enjoy history had unenthusiastic teachers. Even people who are not history buffs, or who had no interest in history before, enjoyed classes with enthusiastic professors, or enjoyed tours with enthusiastic guides and museum employees. Evoking that passion to those you are trying to educate really impresses them. Beatty showed me that I am on the right track in getting my MA because it places me above those competing for jobs without an MA. So while it can be easy to get discouraged by looking at those stats, it will only make the process worse. Staying positive and enthusiastic about your opportunities is the best way to make it in struggling job markets.

This week’s readings were both simultaneously depressing and encouraging. Exploring the Bureau of Labor statistics website it appears that a job in the field of history is interesting, fun, and is compensated with a nice salary, however, reading a little further we find that all these jobs, especially that of historian, are highly competitive with only 4,000 jobs for historians in 2010. Further, with federal, state, and local governments employing 57% of all historians in the country there is definitely a need for historians to get creative with their job prospects, just like Guillebeau recommends. The BLS website included the fact that “because of the popularity of history degree programs applicants are expected to outnumber positions available.” This seemed to be a common thread for all history related jobs listed on the website: the occupations of Curators, Museum Technicians, Conservators, Archivists, Anthropologists, Archeologists, and of course, Historians all had more applicants than available jobs. However, with all of this gloom and doom, the BLS does offers some encouraging words for those of us in the MAHR program by stating that “those with practical skills or hands-on work experience should have the best job prospects. Also, encouraging is that historians’ broad training in writing, analytical research, and critical thinking will be beneficial in many different occupations.

The best part of the reading for this week was the blog posts from Public History Commons. There were many things that struck me as important. After reading Bob Beatty’s piece it is a little disheartening that Boise State, through the MAHR program, cannot provide a practicum for all graduate students. Internships in Boise, in the field of history, are extremely limited and with public history work being a hands-on endeavor it is important that students have the opportunity to practice these skills, like Beatty wrote, “public history work is often messy and disjointed;” and sometimes the only way to appreciate and learn about this element of public history is by actually doing the work, not just reading about it.

Scott Stroh made some of the best points about public history that I have read in a long time. He lays out some important things for cultural organizations to consider in his assertion that “cultural organization’s greatest value rests with its ability to change the world, and that cultural organizations must seek to provide experiences that:
1. Inspire, challenge, and question;
2. Nurture, inform, and educate;
3. Offer dialogue, discourse, and debate;
4. Provide opportunities for reflection and action, and
5. Offer enrichment through authentic interaction with people, place, and heritage.

It seems that all of us in class share similar assertions and realize public historians’ role in accomplishing these kinds of experiences. From class discussions there also seems to be a consensus that “instead of focusing on career specializations or subject matter expertise, professional development, especially beyond academia, must focus on the development of people—civic minded citizens—able to lead, inspire, and engage community based on an appreciation, knowledge, and love of history.” The advice that Stroh offers to public history students is encouraging and practical, and I am glad it was the assigned reading this week.

The readings this week provided quite a bit of optimism for up and coming historians. However, the book the $100 startup may have been a little overly optimistic. Unfortunately, the way the economy works does not allow for everyone to be their own boss. The blind optimism that the author attempts to sell us could prove dangerous. It is important to think creatively and use our unique talents in whatever profession we choose, but we also need to be flexible and realistic in our approach. Even though the author touches on some hiccups he doesn’t talk about hard work, or changing markets, which could lead to further reinvention and creativity.

As historians we ask, are people willing to pay for historical knowledge and experience? After exploring the websites assigned this week the answer seems to be yes. The website provides an example of recognizing a niche market and capturing it, however eventually more people will creep into the niche, and once again these creative history jobs will become saturated and difficult to get, just like teaching jobs.

Even after this week’s readings I still don’t believe public history should stick to a “profit before people” mentality, but we do want to make a living. Two skills historians will always have is excellent research abilities and critical thinking, therefore no matter what profession we end up in the skills we have will be beneficial. However, our schoolwork can be a hindrance, as Rudd Putnam states: “The cognitive overload of an academic life prevents us from being truly thoughtful.” Sometimes this mental block can prevent historians from being creative, and sometimes it can prevent them from assessing what is possible for their future.

The $100 Startup was an interesting read.  Basically what he was saying was that the world is full of choices and to be successful you must be open to possibilities.  As a historian in a constantly changing field where the traditional path is becoming harder and harder to follow,  I felt like that is especially good advice.  However, I found that this book was a little to slick and full of buzz words for my taste.  It always bothers me when people start throwing around how much money someone made is only a year.  I always feel like I’m being sold something.  It felt like he was trying to create value in his ideas by telling me how successful I could be.  I also found that he relied very heavily on anecdotal evidence instead of facts.  I think that he set unrealistic expectations for what starting a business is.  I know that there are people who start companies and succeed.  Yet what about the people who started a business and failed?  I want to hear their stories.  I want to hear the story where they picked themselves up and went right back at it.  It feels like he painted this great picture of huge successes without having to put any effort into a business.  Just find what you love, follow your passion and with little work at all, you to can be on track to make $100,000 next year.  I get it, and I agree with some of the things that he talked about.  You do have to be willing to take risks.  Half of the battle is the ability to see opportunities where others see roadblocks.  I also believe that value can be found in helping others.  This book felt really slick to me and read like it was ice cream instead of protein.  I think for him the best business of all was writing a book about how to start your perfect business for just $100.

I found far more value in Historians as Consultants and Contractors.  This was a much more realistic study of opportunities that exist for historians.  It stated the pros, the cons, and some of the industry needs that can be filled by individuals with schedule flexibility and a thirst for adventure.  No frills in this article, but there was lot of valuable information.  (Style + substance = success.)  I also enjoyed Crafting a New Historian.  This was a look at one individual’s road to an unexpected business.  This time without all the flash and buzz displayed in $100 Startup.  The author spoke of creating opportunity out of a hobby and his historical and research skills by becoming a freelance craftsman.  His realistic portrayal about the uncertainty of trying to follow the traditional academic path in his chosen field was helpful and timely.  History is a constantly changing environment.  To be successful as a historian I believe that it is vital to be open to non-traditional opportunities and careers.  I found this to be a much better example of how to create a niche for yourself out of a hobby.