What can I do with my life if I stick with History as a career?
I know that many famous people have a degree in history, but they all ended up doing something else.
I love History, but I'm starting to get disillusioned. First of all, I don't get much human contact because I spend most of my time reading books and contributing to Wikipedia, so there's practically no way to make connections with important people except for other people who like history. Second, I don't have a clue about how I'm going to make a living once I'm done with college. Third, I'm starting to think: "What the fuck am I doing with my life? Why am I not focusing on myself, and why am I focusing on dead people who have nothing to do with me?" Lastly, I'm getting tired of being looked down on by others whenever I mention that I'm in History.
To put it bluntly, I don't want to spend the rest of my life spending 6-8 hours a day making edits to Wikipedia, because honestly that's what gives me the most pleasure in my life at the moment. But it makes me think: "For what fucking purpose am I doing this? Why contribute to the historical knowledge of others, when the vast majority will never give a shit and think of me as a shut-in autist."
Lastly, I don't really have an answer to the question: "How do you know that your historical knowledge isn't biased or falsified?" What am I supposed to tell people like that? (I'm into pre-modern history, not modern shit)
>>1308162
>What can I do with my life if I stick with History as a career?
Teach/nothing.
One of my ex boyfriends studied a M. A. in History. Now he is running my hometown´s museum and published a book. You can do a lot of shit as long as you have some connections and concrete ideas about what you may want to do with your degree.
>>1308162
OP here. While arguing with a "friend" about History, I said the cliched line of "You need to know history to avoid making the same mistakes" but he countered with "What's the point of history when people will make the same mistakes over and over again no matter what."
What can I say to counter that?
Start an entertaining YouTube channel about history, then reap in the monetization/affiliate/Patreon money.
>>1308169
OP here again. To be truthful, I'm terrified to tell others what my major is because I know that the first thing to come out of their mouths is: "So.. are you going to become a teacher?" It's like whenever I mention my major, it feels like the other person is trying to think of something nice to say but ends up asking me about how I'm going to make a living, as if they're concerned about my future.
>>1308180
Not OP but I'd probably do this if I didn't have such a gay voice.
>>1308162
You're fucked mate
t. fellow history gradute NEET
>>1308175
Slut
You become a teacher like the rest of us nerds.
>>1308162
>I love History, but I'm starting to get disillusioned. First of all, I don't get much human contact because I spend most of my time reading books and contributing to Wikipedia, so there's practically no way to make connections with important people except for other people who like history. Second, I don't have a clue about how I'm going to make a living once I'm done with college. Third, I'm starting to think: "What the fuck am I doing with my life? Why am I not focusing on myself, and why am I focusing on dead people who have nothing to do with me?" Lastly, I'm getting tired of being looked down on by others whenever I mention that I'm in History.
>To put it bluntly, I don't want to spend the rest of my life spending 6-8 hours a day making edits to Wikipedia, because honestly that's what gives me the most pleasure in my life at the moment. But it makes me think: "For what fucking purpose am I doing this? Why contribute to the historical knowledge of others, when the vast majority will never give a shit and think of me as a shut-in autist."
This 100% describes me as well. I'm a little more than half way through my history degree, spend my free time reading history and editing Wikipedia, felt shame that I'm wasting my life, felt worried that I'm doing nothing productive for myself, and hate to tell people my major.
Hell, not to long ago I had a major depression period when I discovered how little even the most highly rated fiction writers make off their work, because I had been planning to be a writer and just have a degree because it's useful. I knew getting rich off writing books is harder than winning the lottery, but I just wanted to make a simple living off of it and figured I'd be able to in a few years, but I found out that's hardly any more likely. The possibility that I may have put all this money and effort into it just to get a shitty job the rest of my life hit me like a ton of bricks.
(running out of space, to be cont.)
>>1308351
Teaching is awesome. You get paid to talk about history all day to people who take your word as gospel.
>>1308363
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W45DRy7M1no
I'm like that guy though. The kids would eat me alive.
>>1308162
(cont.)
So I started looking for something else that I'd actually like to do to pay the bills while I write. I found out about freelance writing and got into it recently. Basically you are payed to write articles with keywords that will get high google results. This felt like something someone who likes to edit Wikipedia and writer books would like, because I could do all in the same place. In order to get started, look for small time info sites or blogs about things you like that would be happy to let someone post to build up their resume. You have to start off doing these without pay and earn experience before you can get hired to write for money. After a year you should be able to start getting payed and after a few years you will probably make enough to live off of. It takes determination but it's something I like you something I like you will like too. I recommend looking up websites on how to get started, like I first did.
>>1308379
lrn2ClassroomManagement
They do teach you some useful things in education classes ya know anon.
>>1308382
That sounds interesting. Thx for sharing
>>1308175
>as long as you have some connections and concrete ideas about what you may want to do with your degree
>>1308176
Don't start with the retarded cliche line to begin with.
But, if you're into the point where it goes into "What's the point of history when people will make the same mistakes" just argue that maybe that's okay for "people" but you don't want to be retarded like them anyways.
>>1308514
I didn't start with that line. I just ended up resorting to it desu.
>>1308162
Do what all the people you read about did, go to law school. The lawyers were the ones organizing new states and domestic policies throughout history. Plus history majors have a high rate of entry into law schools.
Studying just history practically dooms you from the start. Unlike the other majors, you need to find something to apply your major besides being a teacher. Thats why im also studying criminal justice alongside my history major.
>>1308734
>criminal justice and history
What do you plan to do?
>>1308176
>"What's the point of history when people will make the same mistakes over and over again no matter what
What's the point of studying anything if we will never reach truth?
If we can't avoid mistakes does it mean we should make them?
Why do we have different points of view if we make the same mistakes?
>>1308162
Anyone who says history is useless is mentally deficient. You need history in order to know the dumb shit previous generations tried to do, so you don't do it. Remember, live and learn is very generational, and you lose a lot of that knowledge when the generation dies.
Having a knowledge of history is imperative to understanding the past, present and future
>people actually think knowing stuff is 'useless' because it won't get them a higher paycheck for their wageslavery
>>1308162
>I don't want to spend the rest of my life spending 6-8 hours a day making edits to Wikipedia, because honestly that's what gives me the most pleasure in my life at the moment.
No offense intended but that's fucking sad and pathetic. Maybe it's not the history field that's the problem, but people like you that is the problem.
>>1308162
>History
>Use
Spotted the positivist.
I'm halfway through my Bachelor's degree in History and i'm probably gonna try do a Masters and go into Academia (like lecturing) or do something related to Musemns or something.
To be honest i've realised i'll probably hate doing anything else for a job if its not something i'm actually interested in.
>>1312928
Literally doing the same thing fampai
>>1308162
I almost followed this path, six years ago.
A week before the enrollment for the entrance exams, after long inquiries with my history professors, I ended up choosing for law school.
Today I am a lawyer, studying and teaching history by pure dilettantism in my free time, and I gain much more by working less time - with prospects of improvement - than if I choosed to do history.
OP read Stirner and look at what you want in life and whether studying this will give you that
>>1314600
Same here
>>1308379
Public speaking is an acquired skill, even the biggest of betas can learn it if they try and face their fear
