Era Might Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 (edited) Looking for any advice from anyone who knows anything. I have a degree in English and have translated that into marketing/copywriting, which on its own I'm good at, but has never been satisfying because ultimately, even though I am doing something I love (analyzing/researching/writing), it is always in the service of business/sales/management, which doesn't interest me except as it relates to human nature. I've realized that I'm never going to build a true "career," even though I'm good at what I do, because ultimately I have to be committed to a "career track," becoming a well-rounded professional candidate (project management, technical skills, etc.). I'm capable of doing that, but I never will, at least not for what I do now, because I absolutely hate the routine and management they require, and I am never going to be passionate about business and marketing (I like the theory, but not the actual day-to-day career). So far, so good. I've come to an important realization. The other is that I love history, and although of course any career requires things like project management, technical skills, etc., the difference with something like history is that I love the actual subject. With business/marketing/sales, the only way to excel is to drive sales, money, customers, etc. That does not motivate me at all, but with an intellectual subject, the only way to excel is to drive more knowledge, and THAT does excite me (I do it already and nobody even pays me). I could excel in a setting where knowledge and advancing that knowledge (and teaching it) is the primary "career capital" so to speak. So, I'm a grown man with bills to pay and already did his post-college wander in the wilderness, so naive dreams of "going back to school" are not realistic. Probably becoming a professional academic is out of the question for that reason, especially considering I did not major in history but English. Becoming a teacher of some sort is probably realistic, and I could blend that my interest/background in literature, and realistically do an "about face" over the next year if I focus on changing careers. Mainly what I'm asking advice on is what other alternatives are there? I could imagine working in a museum, library, etc. It doesn't necessarily have to be a job literally focused on history...it could let me do what historians like to do...researching, create meaning, telling stories, etc. But I'm not really sure, practically speaking, what are some possibilities (bearing in mind what I said before...I'm trying to do a career about face, within realistic limits).... Edited May 14, 2014 by Era Might Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anastasia13 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Advocacy organization, politics, public relations, writer, journalist, lawyer, documentary film maker (if you have skills/beginning equipment) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 A BA in anything isn't as important as an MA in your field. An MA is a couple of years - even if you've got a job and bills to pay, you can probably do two courses in the fall and spring semesters, one course in the summer semester, and be finished in two years. Many evening classes available as a general rule. Many online classes available these days. If you can do any of your copy writing from home, you should be able to set up a workable schedule. If you complete a master's in history, you could work in a museum, teach in a community college (at any educational level, it would be wise to squeeze in a couple of classes in educational theory), edit history books (thus combining some of your current skills with your acquired skills), or write for/edit history magazines. Also - there's a national park near here. A lot of the park rangers are trained historians - they present lectures on topics related to the site. I think a lot of state parks also have historian-rangers - old battlefields, historic homes-districts, native culture sites, and so forth. It might be possible to get a job at one of those doing something... anything... editing their monthly newsletter or whatever, and work there while you go to school, get your history master's, change positions, etc. If you really want to do history, it seems to me that having marketing and copy writing skills would be a very good 'value added' package and make you more attractive to prospective employers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anastasia13 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 If you really want to do history, it seems to me that having marketing and copy writing skills would be a very good 'value added' package and make you more attractive to prospective employers. How so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 How so? Well, if you're working for some sort of history organization like a national monument or state park, you can do what the other rangers do, but you can also write clearly, you know the industry standards for publications, you about advertising, and that kind of thing, then you can do that for your organization as well as your regular work. Just seems to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristinaTherese Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 My mom did the thing Luigi suggests of taking classes while dealing with life, and she was homeschooling my brother and me. (It wasn't an MA she was studying for, but some sort of certificate.) It took her a while, but she was able to lay a plan and now has a thriving career as a translator and interpreter. So, that's just to say that it can be done. And we've known lots of musicians who got an MA in music, but their BA was in something unrelated (which can help pay the bills, because music doesn't pay that well...). And I can certainly vouch for evening classes... almost all of the classes in my major seem to be for both undergrad and grad students, so they're all one day a week and as late as is reasonable. (We have them 4:30-7:05, which is odd and intersects with dinner, but it works out okay.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatitude Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 My undergraduate major was in English literature, but my MA was in religions and theology (specialising in Jewish Studies), and now I'm doing a PhD that is a real hybrid of all that and more. :) Having an undergraduate degree in English wouldn't stop you from taking an MA in history - they're closely related disciplines, after all - and I expect you could fit a part-time course around your other commitments. Have a look at distance-learning and local part-time options that are available to you, and think about what you want from such a program. I don't know how it works in the US, but where I'm from some history MAs include a work placement - in a museum, for example, or on another cultural project - and that could give you a taste of what you might like to do after you've finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 hmmmm...thanks for all the advice. documentary film maker (if you have skills/beginning equipment) I like that idea...I can think of a lot of ways I could apply history like that, outside of just an academic setting. If you complete a master's in history, you could work in a museum, teach in a community college (at any educational level, it would be wise to squeeze in a couple of classes in educational theory), edit history books (thus combining some of your current skills with your acquired skills), or write for/edit history magazines. How important do you think it would be for me to get a Masters in history? I prefer to learn on my own, but do you think a Masters degree is a practical necessity to be taken seriously in those kinds of jobs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 hmmmm...thanks for all the advice. I like that idea...I can think of a lot of ways I could apply history like that, outside of just an academic setting. How important do you think it would be for me to get a Masters in history? I prefer to learn on my own, but do you think a Masters degree is a practical necessity to be taken seriously in those kinds of jobs? In an educational institution, the most important qualification is your education. So if you want to teach, you've got to have the master's. In the other fields - editing, writing for magazines, developing brochures & news releases - the master's is probably not required. Interest and familiarity might do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spem in alium Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 My undergraduate major was in English literature, but my MA was in religions and theology (specialising in Jewish Studies), and now I'm doing a PhD that is a real hybrid of all that and more. :) Having an undergraduate degree in English wouldn't stop you from taking an MA in history - they're closely related disciplines, after all - and I expect you could fit a part-time course around your other commitments. Have a look at distance-learning and local part-time options that are available to you, and think about what you want from such a program. I don't know how it works in the US, but where I'm from some history MAs include a work placement - in a museum, for example, or on another cultural project - and that could give you a taste of what you might like to do after you've finished. These are great suggestions. I'm similar - my undergraduate major was English literature, my Honours thesis specialised in history and English, and my PhD is art history and quite a bit of theology too. So yes, it is possible to specialise in a field different from your major. Have you done any history studies at all in the past? Would you ever consider becoming an academic or a university lecturer? This, in my view, is definitely possible if you commit to study and research. As far as I know, MAs here also offer a practical component, so it's well worth considering - plus, it would enable you to do further study if you felt so inclined. Regarding your question about the MA, yes, it is a good qualification. Though here (I'm not sure about where you are), Masters courses are becoming quite commonplace and not as highly regarded as they once were, which is a bit of a shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted May 14, 2014 Author Share Posted May 14, 2014 These are great suggestions. I'm similar - my undergraduate major was English literature, my Honours thesis specialised in history and English, and my PhD is art history and quite a bit of theology too. So yes, it is possible to specialise in a field different from your major. Have you done any history studies at all in the past? Would you ever consider becoming an academic or a university lecturer? This, in my view, is definitely possible if you commit to study and research. As far as I know, MAs here also offer a practical component, so it's well worth considering - plus, it would enable you to do further study if you felt so inclined. Regarding your question about the MA, yes, it is a good qualification. Though here (I'm not sure about where you are), Masters courses are becoming quite commonplace and not as highly regarded as they once were, which is a bit of a shame. What is a university lecturer? To become an academic seems to me kind of late in the game, especially for something like history. I'm almost 30. Plus I'm more interested in the teaching and researching side of things, rather than devoting myself to original research in one specialized area. I read history on my own, it's he main thing I read, but I've never studied history in college. More than anything I love to understand the big picture and help others get that bigger picture of where they come from, who they are, and where they're going, so I think probably an MA would be a sufficient "passport" that would allow me to do a lot of different kinds of things. But I guess I could start getting my state teaching certification and get experience on that end, and then plan for the masters later. What do you need to teach history in high school? I guess I could teach history and English/literature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spem in alium Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 What is a university lecturer? To become an academic seems to me kind of late in the game, especially for something like history. I'm almost 30. Plus I'm more interested in the teaching and researching side of things, rather than devoting myself to original research in one specialized area. I read history on my own, it's he main thing I read, but I've never studied history in college. More than anything I love to understand the big picture and help others get that bigger picture of where they come from, who they are, and where they're going, so I think probably an MA would be a sufficient "passport" that would allow me to do a lot of different kinds of things. But I guess I could start getting my state teaching certification and get experience on that end, and then plan for the masters later. What do you need to teach history in high school? I guess I could teach history and English/literature. Oh right, I forget I speak Australian :P University lecturer = college professor. :) It's never too late. I know people who have graduated with Masters in their 60s or who have done a doctorate later in life. It happens! At a glance, it does sound as though teaching would be a good option for you, especially given that you like to help others understand material. Not sure about there, but here you need to have studied history (undergraduate is sometimes sufficient, though an MA does help) and done some kind of education course. Here you can do a combined degree (Bachelor of Arts/Education) or each separately (undergrad history and Masters in Teaching), both of which would take around four years to complete. As far as I know, an MA usually takes around 1.5/2 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 Cool video (if you're a geek): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ysAbk0NhVk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 My mom used her major in Canadian and Russian history to apply to join the police, but that probably does not help you much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 My mom used her major in Canadian and Russian history to apply to join the police, but that probably does not help you much. I would only join the Canadian police if I got to ride a horse around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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