Historian Career Guide

Do you find learning about the past interesting? Are you analytical and a natural born problem solver? If yes, then look no further. A career as a historian may just be the one for you!

Historians conduct research based on historical data about people, places, ideas, organizations, or events for the benefit of individuals, businesses, or public and private institutions. Historians will need a bachelors degree as a minimum. However, most aspiring historians go onto achieve either a masters degree or a Ph.D in history, public history or another related field.

There is another reason for becoming a historian: it's fun. The mystery in history brings out the detective in us; there are countless unsolved crimes and riddles and unresolved debates.

Robert Blackey

Historian Career Ratings

(What these ratings mean)

Income

Career
Growth

Personal Growth

Contribution

Influence

Overview

What a Historian does

Historians conduct research based on historical data on people, places, ideas, organizations, or events for the benefit of individuals, businesses, or public and private institutions. They work in places like museums, archives, research organizations, and universities. They also provide advice on historical topics and engage with the public through educational programs. They study the past to understand the present and to make sound decisions based on the data at hand. They can work for the government, businesses, individuals, nonprofits, historical associations and other organizations. Regardless of where they work, the typical duties of a historian include:

Gathering historical data from various sources, including archives, books, and artifacts
Analyzing and interpreting historical information to determine its authenticity and significance
Tracing historical developments in a particular field
Archiving or preserving materials and artifacts in museums, visitor centers, and historic sites
Providing advice or guidance on historical topics
Writing reports, articles, and books on the historical findings and theories

Why they are needed

The world is constantly evolving. For as long as history is part of public conversation and interest, we will always need Historians to synthesize and record the events of the past. They are needed to correct speculation and ensure people know the truth about the past. It is important that we understand what happened in the history of humankind so that we can learn from it and change our future. Plus, it’s also interesting to know all about our previous ancestors.

Pros and cons of a career as a Historian:

Pros:

It’s very interesting!
Historians get to use their brain and solve problems mentally
Historians will feel a great sense of achievement and are results-oriented
Historians will learn a lot of transferable skills and therefore have a lot of variety
Historians can work in a variety of professionals settings (e.g., government, museum and historical societies)

Cons:

It can be hard to make any decent money as a historian
It can be a hard career to enter as extensive skills, knowledge and experience is required
Job growth may be dependent on funding
Job opportunities for historians aren’t as clear cut as other careers

Employability

Job market

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the overall employment of historians is projected to grow 3% from 2019 to 2029. This slow employment growth is expected because many organizations that employ historians, such as historical societies and historical consulting firms, depend largely on donations or public funding. Therefore, employment growth will depend largely on the amount of funding available.

Historians may face strong competition for jobs because it is a popular degree with not that many positions available. To have the best opportunities, historians should achieve a master’s degree or Ph.D. Similarly, practical skills or hands-on work experience in a specialized field (e.g., collections, fundraising or exhibit design) will be beneficial. This experience could be gained through related work experience, volunteering or internships.

Career paths

Candidates with a bachelor’s degree in history may qualify for entry level positions at museums, historical associations or other small organizations. Or, they may work outside of traditional historian jobs (e.g., education, communications, law, business, publishing or journalism).

Generally speaking, most historians who want to progress further in the history field will need a master’s degree or Ph.D for most job positions. Typically, most historians will have a masters degree in history or public history, which will have an internship and coursework as part of the curriculum. However, courses in a related field such as museum studies, historical preservation or archival management will also suffice in many circumstances.

Typically, research positions within the federal government or academia require a Ph.D. Ph.Ds usually concentrate on a specific area of history (e.g., region, period or field).

Example Job Titles for Historian

Below is a list of common job titles in the Historian field. Click the links below for more information about these job titles, or view the next section for actual real-life job profiles.

Historical Interpreter

Benefits & Conditions

Income and benefits

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for interior designers in the United States was $63,680 in May 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,760 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $114,810. The federal government was the top paying industry, with a median annual wage of $97,850. This was followed by professional, scientific and technical services ($65,060), the state government ($52,780) and the local government ($31,450).

Autonomy and Flexibility

Like most careers, historians will have less autonomy and flexibility when they start out. For instance, when a historian is studying for their Ph.D or their masters, they will have less control over decisions and schedule. However, as a historian progresses through their career they will gather more autonomy and flexibility. For example, they may get to decide what topics to research and control the direction of the project.

Locations and commute

According to Zippia, the best states to be a Historian, based on number of jobs available and average annual salary, are:

Nevada, where the average annual salary was $72,544
Alaska, where the average annual salary was $110,706
Washington where the average annual salary was $77,095
Oregon, where the average annual salary was $78,322
Pennsylvania, where the average annual salary was $69,539

According to Zippia, the worst states to be a historian are Vermont, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida.

Work environment

The largest employers of Historians in the United States was the federal government, which employed 22% of all historians. 19% of historians are employed by the local government, 17% by professional, scientific and technical services and 15% by the state government. ,

In general, most historians work in museums, archives, historical societies and research organizations. Some historians will work as consultant for these organizations whilst being employed by consulting firms. Others will work as independent consultants.

Career Satisfaction

Common Matching Personality Types

Which personalities tend to succeed and thrive in Historian careers? Based on our research, there is a relatively strong positive correlation between the following personality types and Historian career satisfaction. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many exceptions, of course, but if you fit into one of the following personality types then we suggest you give strong consideration to a career in Historian.

16 Types (Myers-Briggs)

INTJ

Big Five (OCEAN)

None

DISC

None

Enneagram

None

Holland Codes (RIASEC)

Investigative

Personality types

Historians tend to be predominantly investigative individuals. They have inquisitive and curious personalities and like to come up with original ideas. Often, historians are introverted – they like to spend time alone with their own thoughts where they can explore the past.

Accomplishment and mastery

Historians study for a long time in order to gather the knowledge and skills that they need for a successful career. Therefore, when historians are fully qualified and manage to successfully piece together information and discover the past, they will feel a sense of accomplishment and mastery.

Meaning and contribution

Without historians we would have little understanding of the past. Without an understanding of the past, we would not be able to understand the future or why we behave the way we do. Therefore, the work of a historian has great meaning and contribution to society.

Life fit

Most historians work full time during regular business hours. Some historians work independently and are able to set their own schedules. However, historians who work in museums or other institutions open to the public may have to work evenings or weekends, which provides a worse life fit. Some historians may also travel to collect artifacts, conduct interviews, or visit an area to better understand its culture and environment.

Who will thrive in this career?

The most obvious qualities of a thriving historian are writing and research skills. As historians study occurrences from the past, they must learn to identify which information to process and how to process them. A good historian also has analytical skills when translating findings, problem-solving skills when investigating information from the past, and communication skills when collaborating with colleagues and in the presentation of research. If you have always loved to know the narrative behind things and are curious enough to do the work to unearth those, then this career might be right for you!

Who will struggle in this career?

Those who are not analytical or logical will struggle as a historian. Similarly, those who are naturally creative and artistic will struggle as a historian – they are likely to find the work tedious and mundane.

Requirements

Quick Glance

Skills

Degrees

Skills and talents

As well as the extensive educational requirements, historians will need skills such as:

Communication skills, as historians will need to be able to communicate efficiently with other professionals in order to collect information. They will also need to collaborate with colleagues and present their research to the public
Analytical skills, as historians must be able to examine various types of historical resources and draw clear and logical findings
Teamwork skills, as historians may often has to work in teams with other researchers or academics to explore certain topics
Research skills, as much of what a historian does is to examine and process information from a large number of historical resources
Problem-solving skills, as historians seek to answer questions about the past. They may investigate something unknown and will need to piece together how it makes sense

Education

To become a historian a bachelors degree is needed as a minimum. However, most aspiring historians go onto to achieve either a masters degree or a Ph.D in history, public history or another related field.

Certifications

There are no specific certifications or licenses needed to become a historian in the United States.

How to Become

Summary

A career as a historian is suitable for those who are analytical and natural born problem-solvers. It uncovers the trust about the past, and helps us to determine our future.

Historians conduct research based on historical data about people, places, ideas, organizations, or events for the benefit of individuals, businesses, or public and private institutions. They study the past to understand the present and to make sound decisions based on the data at hand. They can work for the government, businesses, individuals, nonprofits, historical associations and other organizations.

Immediate action

In order to get accepted onto a bachelors degree aspiring historians should complete high school classes in history and english. Aspiring historians may also want to consider taking extra curricular activities, such as sports or music, as this will increase their chances of getting accepted onto postsecondary education courses.

Education and learning

Historians will need a bachelors degree as a minimum. However, most aspiring historians go onto achieve either a masters degree or a Ph.D in history, public history or another related field.

Skill development

Historians will develop many of the skills they need through their extensive education. Once qualified, their skills will naturally develop as they spend more time researching historical topics and progressing their knowledge.

FAQs

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