How Do History Majors Fare in the Job Market?

Autor/inn/en	Baker, H. Robert; Lewis, Gregory B.
Titel	How Do History Majors Fare in the Job Market?
Quelle	In: History Teacher, 54 (2020) 1, S.107-128 (22 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0018-2745
Schlagwörter	History; Majors (Students); Employment Potential; Departments; Declining Enrollment; Unemployment; College Graduates; Census Figures; Employment Opportunities; Labor Market; Employer Attitudes; Education Work Relationship; Salaries; Comparative Analysis; Age Groups; Race; Gender Differences; Educational Attainment + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Geschichte; Geschichtsdarstellung; Arbeitsmarktbezogene Qualifikation; Beschäftigungsfähigkeit; Department; Abteilung; Arbeitslosigkeit; Hochschulabsolvent; Hochschulabsolventin; Volkszählung; Berufschance; Beschäftigungschance; Labour market; Arbeitsmarkt; Arbeitgeberinteresse; Entlohnung; Gehalt; Age grop; Altersgruppe; Rasse; Abstammung; Geschlechterkonflikt; Bildungsabschluss; Bildungsgut
Abstract	How do history students fare in the job market? This is a pressing question these days, as history departments (along with others in the humanities) suffer declining enrollments and increased administrative and political pressure to justify their existence. As universities increasingly focus on the college-to-career transition, departments whose graduates suffer high unemployment rates, relatively low earnings, or unsatisfying careers need to prove the value of their degrees. Any discussion about how to best serve history majors should start with a responsible look at the data. The analysis of individual-level U.S. Census data since 2009 presented in this article might help to understand the challenges that history majors face in the job market. Combining the findings with a survey of the literature, several things come into focus. First, if history majors do a poor job of transitioning into the job market, it is a problem shared across the humanities and many social sciences. Second, history majors are taught the very skills many employers regard as the most important. The fact that history students are suffering on the early job market is disquieting. It suggests that the students are not being served well in preparing for life beyond the academy. The article ends with some suggestions about how to help prepare students for a broader job market. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Society for History Education. California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840-1601. Tel: 562-985-2573; Fax: 562-985-5431; Web site: http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01