Are you a History buff who remembers the date, time, and place of a certain event in the past?
Are you a History buff who carefully listens to a guide when you visit a historical place/monument?
Are you a History buff who loves watching Historical dramas?
You might be! However, being a history buff and being a Historian are two different things. Now let me ask you three different sets of questions.
Do you check for multiple sources to confirm whether the date, time and place are the same for that particular event?
Do you ask your guide questions about where he got this information from? Is his story coming from legends or some authentic source?
Do you critically analyze a film and check whether the events depicted are true or whether there were some creative choices made?
I am not sure if you answered yes now. People usually regard historians as “History Buffs” who spends their day trying to memorize all the information there is about history. However, this is not the case. So what do historians do all day? Read further to know about a Career as a Historian- the skills and the education required, the variety of job roles a historian can do, the salary insights, and much more!
If you’ve ever wondered what a historian does, you might be surprised by the specifics of the position. A historian does much more than simply gather information about historical events.
A historian starts by gathering data. They acquire it from
The information from these written documents is then analyzed.
But what does a historian do for a living? As a result of the diversity of historians, work responsibilities differ. But conducting historical research is a historian’s primary duty.
There are various job roles that a Historian can do. The following are some of the job titles that historians hold:
Challenging employment for a historian who enjoys working on a range of topics and prefers flexibility is consulting. A consultant or contractor may be required to conduct historical research for a court case, museum exhibit, or location for a new commercial building.
One of the most fascinating careers for a historian is research historian, which gives historians the chance to investigate a variety of artefacts and topics in order to better comprehend history. A skilled research historian typically has outstanding oral and written communication abilities.
A person who does in-depth research into ancient culture and artefacts using the three methods of survey, site identification, and excavation is known as an archaeologist. A history major can also become an Anthropologist as the skill set and part of the subject knowledge remains the same. You can check out this blog if you want to know more about a career as an Anthropologist.
The Career path to becoming a historian is quite clear since there is only one way. Post your 10th grade, you would have to choose humanities/arts if you want to pursue history as a subject. However, there are very few colleges that offer history as a subject in 11th and 12th grade. Therefore, check the college’s websites before applying as the subject is required for you to be admitted into a bachelor’s degree.
Post your 12th grade, you will have to pursue your Bachelor of Arts (B.A.). In the last year of your degree, you would be required to choose a major subject wherein all the papers would be on the subject chosen. Choose History as your major if you wish to become a Historian! However, historians also have majors in subjects like sociology or anthropology. Related majors to History also include subjects like Ancient Indian Culture, Ancient Indian History, and Archeology or simply Archaeology.
Historians also require a Masters’s in order to increase their reputation and add value to their profile, thus, they need to pursue a Master of Arts (M.A.) in History. This two-year postgraduate degree program in history is broken up into four semesters. It is the study of historical events and contemporary perceptions of those events. The study focuses on past societies’ behaviours, stories, and narratives, as well as on their cultures, languages, art, and a variety of other things. The major focus of this program is the dissertation/ research work that needs to complete. To get a complete idea of how to become a Historian, you can check out this blog!
The pay range or compensation of a historian in India is based on a number of variables, including the historian’s degree, job experience, and the importance of the institution seeking to hire a historian, among others.
However, the average gross pay for a historian in India is 9,19,053 INR/Year. Additionally, the following findings are based on wage estimates derived from salary survey data obtained in India directly from employers and anonymous employees:
| Experience level | Entry level (1-3 years) | Median level | Senior level (8+ years) |
| Salary per year | 6,67,452 | 9,19,053 | 11,52,566 |
With a history degree, you can pursue a variety of vocations, including law, publishing, journalism and the media, museums, librarianship and archive work, teaching, advertising, work in the development sector, international humanitarian work, etc. Additionally, it is anticipated that the number of historians in India would grow by 3% between 2019 and 2029, which is nearly as fast as the national average for all occupations.
Here is a list of those sectors which usually employ a Historian –
Historians are usually hired by Historical associations or Governmental organizations. Some of them are:
Other than these, historians are usually employed by schools as history teachers, or by editing and publishing houses as historical writers/editors.
You can enrol in several online courses to get a feel for the subject – either if you are unsure whether you would like a career in anthropology or as a means to upskill yourself. Following your completion of grade 10, you can try the following courses:
| Certificate Courses | Duration |
| The Modern World, Part One: Global History from 1760 to 1910 | 1-3 Months |
| The Modern World, Part Two: Global History since 1910 | 1-3 Months |
| Military History of Classical Greek World | 2.5 hours |
| Big History: From Big Bang till today | 1-3 Months |
| 15 Habits of great History Teachers | 1.5 hours |
| A Brief History of India | 4.5 Hours |
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As with any other profession, a Historian requires schooling along with an undergraduate course with majors in History.
The best course of study is to major in History. However, you may be able to find similar opportunities as a Historian if you are already studying a B.A. in a subject like sociology or anthropology or a B.Sc. in a subject like palaeontology or archaeology.
The only few undergraduate courses that you can pursue to become a Historian are:
| Undergraduate Degree | Duration |
| B.A. With majors in History | 3 Years |
| B.A./B.Sc with majors in Archaeology | 3-4 Years |
| B.A. (Hons) in History | 3 Years |
| BA in Ancient Indian Culture | 3 Years |
| BA in Ancient Indian History and Archeology | 3 Years |
| Post-graduate Degree | Duration |
| M.A. in History | 2 Years |
| M.Phil in History | 2 Years |
| P.hD in History | 3-5 Years |
Some of the undergraduate courses to become a historian abroad include BA Hons in Art History, Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, Bachelors in History, Bachelor of Science in Archaeology and Materials, and Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies. These courses usually take 4 years to complete. However, The duration and name of these courses might differ depending on the country you apply to.
Some of the Master’s degrees you can pursue abroad include courses like Master of Arts in History of Science, MA in Anthropology, MA in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, MA in History, and Master of Arts in World History. These courses are 1-2 years long and provide specialized knowledge about the field.
Entry into these courses will require you to give language proficiency test scores of IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, SATs, etc along with an SOP (Statement of Purpose) and LORs (Letter of Recommendation). Want some help with SATs? We have got you covered. Read this blog to know more!
You can read the following books to get interested in History:
Some of the History movies/ documentaries to binge-watch include the following:
Some of the great Indian Historians you can follow include:
Thus, if you enjoy learning about historical events, their causes, and how “history will repeat itself,” being a historian can be enjoyable. This knowledge can then be used to inform the current generation. I hope this knowledge will serve as a lighthouse for you as you go out on your quest to become a historian. We are wishing you all the best!
Historians compile and analyze data from various primary sources to provide insight into historical events. Written documents, tangible artefacts, and other sorts of evidence may be analyzed throughout their investigations.
The capacity to reason, represent, debate, analyze the past critically, and create new questions and inquiries. Astonishing comprehension and knowledge of people, events, and context from various historical eras, as well as historical theories and processes.
A bachelor’s degree in history is necessary to work as a historian. The majority of historians then pursue a master’s or doctoral degree, during which time they conduct research and create a thesis in a field of study of their choice.
Historian, History Professor, Journalist, Attorney, Paralegal, Human Resources Manager, and Librarian are a few options a History major can hold.
The world is continually changing, and historians are crucial in summarising and documenting historical events. They make it possible for people and civilizations to take lessons from the past and set themselves up for greater success in the future.
A doctoral-level program in history with a duration of three to five years is a research-intensive course. You will discover the moral historical values, ethics, written records, and historical events of humanity in earlier historical eras as you learn about world history at a higher level.
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