Choosing History

What use is history to me?

Just as history has made our world what it is, history can also be a key part of your future. Learn how studying history informs the present and gives you the skills you need to prepare for the future.

Apart from being very interesting, history is useful for a host of different careers, and life too! In fact, history is very practical and teaches you vital skills that employers want, because it involves:

  • Learning about people – how they interact, differing perspectives and interpretations, the motives and emotions that can tear people apart into rival factions or help them to work together for a common cause (useful knowledge for team-building at work!)
  • Learning to locate and sift facts – In today’s internet-based, information overloaded world, employers really appreciate someone who
    can sift through the evidence to find the vital information – a skill that history is better placed than any other subject to help you develop.
  • Handling evidence to make informed decisions – to identify truth and recognise myth, propaganda and downright lies (useful in every aspect of life!)
  • Communicating your ideas and thoughts in a way that makes sense to others – whether that be verbally or in essays, graphs or illustrated reports – and having the confidence to defend your findings. These skills are vital for arguments and presentations in a range of careers.
  • Learning about countries, societies and cultures – so many of today’s conflicts and alliances have their roots in the past; how can you understand, trade successfully with, or report on a country if you know nothing of its culture or history?

But I don’t want to be a teacher or work with old things!

With a subject like history, it may be harder for you to identify a clear career path. However, history is a useful and often necessary subject for a wide range careers – not just the obvious ones. We already know that history is a highly desirable qualification for:

  • Teaching in Schools
  • Museums and Galleries
  • Heritage Sites and Organisations
  • Archives, Record Offices, Libraries and Universities
  • Archaeology and Architecture, Conservation and Horticulture
  • National and Local Government, Civil Service and Diplomatic Service
  • Media and Journalism
  • Charity Work
  • Law
  • The Police and Armed Forces

However, there are a wide range of other careers that history can support. Have you ever thought about some of the other doors that a qualification in history can open?

Don’t just take our word for it…

Many well-known faces share an enthusiasm for history… just consider some of the famous faces that have studied history: Jonathan Ross, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Shakira, Louis Theroux, Al Murray, Diane Abbott and Martha Lane Fox to name but a few.

At the same time as helping you to understand your world, history can also open the door to your future.  

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