Career Options in History: Top 6 Career Opportunities for History Students

Arts and humanities are very open ended streams in the educational field. Out of them history is one of the most promising subjects with a varied career paths. A student who has taken up career counselling after 12^th standard would definitely be aware of the myriad of career opportunities that are available.  The options can get slightly overwhelming for a teenager who is not really sure of the career option that he or she wants to pursue. Unlike the students of science background, students of arts and humanities background more specifically history have greater advantage of exploring new path ways in terms of profession and career choices.

Arts stream has wide range of subjects like History, political science, Anthropology, sociology, administration etc. Though history it is not the stream that is widely chosen by students of this generation, it definitely has perks that are not there for the students of other art and humanities subjects. This stream branches into many interesting career professions which are satisfying and enriching in every way. The lack adequate emphasis and investment in this stream has not made it very appealing to the students of this generation. Hence here are the few professions that students of history background can explore after 12^th standard.

Profession Students Can Choose After 12^th

1.  Historian: This profession is an ever thriving one as history needs to be studied continuously forever as it needs detailed examination for better understanding. For a high school graduate to become a historian he or she needs to take up history major in graduation course and masters in a particular specialisation subsequently if required. Masters can be done in fields like political history, military history, administrative history etc. This is a great option given students of arts background in high school have a reasonable knowledge on society and other humanities subjects which form the very foundation of history as an educational stream.
2. Civil Services: Civil Service is the most respected profession in the country. Though the graduation course taken by the student is not much of importance but students with arts and humanities background have better edge over the science students. This is one of the biggest perks of arts and humanities students. After a degree with history as major, students can opt for civil services as a career option. He or she needs to give the civil services exam that is conducted b UPSC every year to be able to get into service. This exam is considered one of the toughest exams of the world. History being a fundamental subject for any stream it is immense help for students who are planning a career in civil services. Hence students with art background especially with history as major have higher chances of clearing it and making it into the government sector.
3. Archaeologist: Archaeologist is responsible for research and detailed study of historical entities like coins, places, epigraphs etc. Professional who is into study of coins is called numismatist, epigraphs or inscriptions is called epigraphist etc. Archaeologist is one of the highest paid jobs in this field ass the professional demands prolonged study of a particular aspect of the history. Hence it is comfortable option for a student of arts or humanities background.
4. Museologists: Museology is the study of setting up and organising a museum. Hence a Museologist is a trained professional who is capable and responsible for organising and designing and management of museums. Given the increase in emphasis on conservation of heritage and material wealth of nations across the world Museologist has become a promising and career path.   
5.  History Educator: Teaching is one of the most rewarding professions. Professors and teaching staff with a relevant degree get paid very high especially in the government universities, colleges and schools. Students with arts background specifically with history as major can take up a graduation course in history and can become professors and teachers in that field. There is considerable dearth in teaching staff and professors in the educational institutions of the country. This makes it a comfortable career option without much competition. It is also one of the well respected professions across the world.

Will Career Counselling Help? If yes, How?

 Career Counselling is a great activity to take up for a newly graduated student for most of them are unaware of the market and business in the real world.  Since counsellors are trained individuals who are well versed with knowledge regarding career opportunities in various fields they give clear idea as to which is a better bet of all the available ones. Hence, Yes! Career counselling is a great way to go about with. Some of the ways in which it contributes to a better professional life are:

• Clears off doubts and confusion around a profession and was to get into it.
• Enlightens and opens up horizons
• Provides with crucial information about a particular job and the market around it.
• Makes the student aware of other similar job profiles.
• Ensures informed decision making.
• Builds confidence to take up a demanding and tough profession.
• Improves ability to interact and have meaningful conversations in professional space.
• Gives contacts to increase networking
• Since this is a profession that is not widely accepted or preferred students do not have the adequate information regarding it.
• Gives the student detailed information about various career paths that are available in the field of history.
• In fact students with history background are very less in number and there is considerable dearth of historians, history teachers.
• Career Counsellors help these high school graduates to resourcefully choose the right path and build a prospering professional life.

All the above mentioned career options cater to individuals with history as major subject. A better planning and execution of ideas result in a secure professional life. This also underlines the fact that money and pay scale is a great motivator and needs to be taken seriously along with other motivating and inspiring factors.

This year has been very tough for major section of the population and the economic and financial situation of families across the spectrum has taken a beating. In such situations financially securing jobs can get very competitive. The financial situation is likely to remain like this in the coming future hence the jobs opportunities are a better bet.

Perks Students with Art and Humanities background have

• Students after 12^th have wider choice in terms of professions and graduation courses in universities and other educational institutions.
• There is ample room for exploration with respect to career paths after 12^th standard.
• Individuals have the option to shift to a different career path. This flexibility is what that sets arts and humanities apart from the crowd.
• It does not have much pressure and stress around it that is very much high in science fields.
• Graduation courses after 12^th standard are not very expensive and are affordable compared to professional courses.
• Students who are not very sure as what to pursue in terms of career are don’t get stressed as this stream offers a lot of flexibility.
• It has various career options and graduation courses that an individual with arts and humanities background can take up after 12^th standard.
• Since they have foundational knowledge on society, law, and other aspects of everyday world they make for great thinkers and sociologists in the future.
• Since students history is not very popular in this generation there is considerably less competition in this field.
• Career options of being a archaeologist, epigraphist and historian are very rewarding but do not attract much of traction amongst the current generation of high school graduates.
• The knowledge they posses enables them to shift professions seamlessly and have a comfortable career path.
• There is great amount of scope for exploration as students can pursue two different graduation courses simultaneously. Distance education can be of immense use while pursuing a degree in a humanities subject and another degree in fine arts.
• It enables wholesome and comprehensive education for students in this field.
• There other professions like Librarian, Sociologists, writer, and other creative professions which students of arts and humanities background can pursue without much difficulty. A simple master degree after any graduation course would suffice for such professions.
• It is widely believed that students with arts and humanities background have deeper knowledge of the world around and have wider options nationally and also internationally in terms of career and professions.
• The wide knowledge base they acquire and subjects they deal which enable staunch formation of opinions make them great writers, orators, pubic speakers and overall an individual who is truly empowered.
• They definitely have greater power and ability o change the society and world at large.
• There umpteen number of diploma courses and graduation courses that can be pursued without having to attend a traditional educational institution or an university makes it very convenient to students who are willing to pursue various career options at the same time.

All these make for a great and promising career options for students who have history as a background in their 12th standard. One can choose the right career path based on individual interests and preferences. Sometimes choosing a career path can be very stressful and overwhelming given the number of opportunities present; in such cases the student is advised to take up career counselling or research extensively about all the options. Professional help can also be taken to clear out any doubts or queries that persist during this process. This entire process need to done comprehensive and without any haste. Given the flexibility of the stream in arts and humanities the student need not have to stress much as he or she can seamlessly shift gears in terms of subjects and courses if any problem arises. Subjects like these are evergreen and will ever fade as the study the very fundamental aspects of society and human behaviour in great detail.