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There are many aspects of your total college experience that will prepare you for employment. Your chances for employment will be enhanced more by the experiences that enable you to develop marketable skills, than by the courses you choose. Moreover, the benefits of education do not come automatically. To build skills for employment, you must be an active participant in the total educational process, rather than only passive recipients of college degrees and courses.

With this in mind, the value of a history degree becomes clearer. Consider, first of all, that very few people stay in the same line of work over a lifetime. Most switch jobs an average of seven times and even change entire careers. Thus, what is initially crucial for advancement is not specialized training, but a field of study that emphasizes general understanding, intellectual inquiry and a cultivated curiosity.

People need knowledge that teaches them how to learn and how to set goals that they can attain. The ability to think critically and judge wisely are skills that are at the heart of a traditional liberal arts degree. Because of the difficulty of predicting which skills will be in demand even four years from now, let alone over a lifetime, a student's best career preparation is one that emphasizes the basic skills of initiative, literacy, analytic thinking, and an adequate understanding of human behavior and world events.

The minor in history can provide you with a gateway degree in many, many careers. Some common jobs that utilize history degrees are: advertising executive, analyst, archivist, broadcaster, campaign worker, consultant, congressional aide, editor, foreign service officer, foundation staffer, information specialist, advocate, intelligence agent, journalist, legal assistant, lobbyist, personnel manager, public relations staffer, researcher, teacher, or businessperson.

Each of these professions requires practical skills involving research, analysis, organization, and strong written and oral communication. A degree in history may be the best of the liberal arts degrees because its interdisciplinary method encompasses a great deal of knowledge and experience from other research fields. This translates into employable skills for you!