History

What do employers think of graduates with a history degree, a subject that is ordinarily viewed as non-vocational? Employers widely respect history graduates as having a valuable combination of skills.  Over the course of your degree you develop a wide mix of subject-specific and technical skills, you should consider these skills developed on your course as well as through your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile.

Prospects

In 2010, six months after graduation, nearly 50% of history graduates were in employment in the UK or overseas. A further 8% were combining working with further study.

It is unusual to go directly into a job that is directly related to a history degree until you have completed some kind of further study. Because of this, many graduates are working in roles that appear unrelated to their degree, but a degree in history provides an entry to a huge range of professions.

For example, approximately 15% of those in work were in clerical and secretarial posts, 23% in retail and catering, 10% in managerial roles in commerce, industry and the public sector, 8% in the business and financial professions and 7% in professional roles in marketing, sales and advertising. Approximately 9% were believed to be unemployed.

Where are the jobs?

With their flexible combination of skills, it is perhaps not surprising that history graduates who can demonstrate their abilities pursue a wide variety of careers, including teaching, law, researching, accountancy, journalism, administration, information management and the media, a range of careers that is wider than that open to students studying a purely vocational course.

For an insight into employment areas investigate:

• Creative arts - opportunities to work as an Arts administrator, Museum/art gallery curator, Writer, amongst many other occupations
• Education - opportunities in schools as well as further and higher education
• Government and public administration - opportunities in local and central government

Jobs directly related to your degree

• Archivist
• Secondary school teacher
• Museum/gallery curator

Jobs where your degree would be useful

• Academic librarian, Information officer, Information scientist, Records manager
• Broadcast journalist, Magazine journalist or Newspaper journalist
• Education administrator
• Civil Service administrator
• Primary school teacher
• Barrister
• Commercial solicitor or Non-commercial solicitor
• Careers information officer

Although some of the jobs listed here might not be first jobs for many graduates, they are among the many realistic possibilities with your degree, provided you can demonstrate you have the attributes employers are looking for. Bear in mind that it's not just your degree discipline that determines your options. Remember that many graduate vacancies don't specify particular degree disciplines, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

You can find more about the skills you develop during your course, the jobs listed above, plus case studies and where to find these jobs at Prospects.

Included with the permission of AGCAS. For the latest version of this publication, see www.prospects.ac.uk. For permission to reproduce, contact copyright@agcas.org.uk