If I had a dime for every parent of a prospective student who has asked me, "So what can you do with a history major?" I'd never have to work again. The answer of course is that there are a myriad of professions in which the skills and dispositions that history majors develop can be used for great success. Critical thinking and writing, reflection, the ability to empathize with those of vastly different perspectives are just a few of the invaluable qualities of good historians that are highly sought out by employers. Case in point is J.D. Jordan, an artist who majored in history and has gone on to be a successful artist and designer. You can find him at Cloudjammer Studios in Atlanta. I don't know J.D. personally, but I learned about him from a Newsweek article back in 2008 which was passed on to me by a colleague and has since been bouncing around the web. In "I'm an Artist, but not the Starving Kind," J.D. says, It took me a couple of years out of college to realize that my own B.A. in history was an asset. I landed my first salaried job during the heady days of unstoppable Internet growth, when the fact that I hadn't gone to art school was no impediment to getting hired as a senior Web specialist at a studio. Then the World Trade Center was attacked, and suddenly, I was answering questions about Islam, oil policy, and our government's struggle against a new enemy for my colleagues -- degreed artists all -- who didn't understand the basic issues of the day.
J.D.'s story confirms what we've always known to be true anecdotally. And now, John Fea, history professor at Messiah College, is collecting more evidence that speaks to the variety of places that history majors can find jobs and success. He has compiled over 35 interviews with people from all walks of life who attest to the long range benefits of graduating with a history major. Check out his blog series, So what CAN you do with a history major?
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