PhDs in History, what are you doing now?
June 1, 2021 12:02 PM Subscribe
I am curious to know what are PhD Historians doing now with their degree? Are you working in academia? Museum? Government? Non-profit? Do you regret your Humanities PhD in History? Does your current job have anything to do with History/Research? Have any of you gone into law or editorial work afterwards?
I know someone with a PhD. in history who works in grant-writing/editing and research administration in a non-history academic field.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:25 PM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:25 PM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
I got a PhD in Public History in 2012. I've also had an MLS since 2000. I work in an independent research library that focuses on history of science and technology and I'm responsible for the digitization, acquisitions, cataloging, preservation, and stacks management departments. My PhD was free since I worked at a university while getting it and I don't regret it a bit. It's shaped my work as a librarian and taught me how better to think about research.
In my public history cohort, I'd say half of us are working outside academia and the other half are teaching faculty. Those that are teaching faculty are still working on projects that are much more hands on than writing articles, but that's the difference between public history and history.
posted by teleri025 at 1:52 PM on June 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
In my public history cohort, I'd say half of us are working outside academia and the other half are teaching faculty. Those that are teaching faculty are still working on projects that are much more hands on than writing articles, but that's the difference between public history and history.
posted by teleri025 at 1:52 PM on June 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
One of my friends is now quitting their PhD program in a subfield of history after several years, in part because there were no professorships available for graduating students in their program this year, and my friend doesn't expect that the market will get better soon. (Of course, the situation might vary based on the field of history.) They're now looking for non-academic jobs that could use their research/writing skills or perhaps law school.
posted by chaiyai at 3:53 PM on June 1, 2021
posted by chaiyai at 3:53 PM on June 1, 2021
I got my degree in 2019, currently teaching full-time but not on the tenure track and as my current job has very little job security or room for growth, I am already actively considering other options. I don't regret getting a PhD, but I generally wouldn't recommend most people start a PhD unless they have a project that they feel really compelled to do. Getting a PhD generally does not help you get non-academic jobs - if anything it might hurt (I've had friends interview for other jobs get asked questions like "So, is your plan to eventually return to academia?" or "So, I guess you might find this task beneath you" etc.)
posted by coffeecat at 4:01 PM on June 1, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by coffeecat at 4:01 PM on June 1, 2021 [3 favorites]
I've had friends interview for other jobs get asked questions like "So, is your plan to eventually return to academia?"
I got asked this question at interviews, and I was like, yes, motherfucker, that's exactly why I'm in the process of taking out $1xx,xxx in additional student debt, so I can try to get a job that pays like $75K to start.
Well. That was what I said in my head, anyway.
posted by praemunire at 4:28 PM on June 1, 2021
I got asked this question at interviews, and I was like, yes, motherfucker, that's exactly why I'm in the process of taking out $1xx,xxx in additional student debt, so I can try to get a job that pays like $75K to start.
Well. That was what I said in my head, anyway.
posted by praemunire at 4:28 PM on June 1, 2021
I am curious to know what are PhD Historians doing now with their degree?
Not sure if this counts but I'm nearly done my PhD in Archaeology.
Are you working in academia? Museum? Government? Non-profit?
Currently working as a data analyst for a government body. My dissertation (strategically) involved a bunch of statistical analysis and some data science-y stuff which made this a pretty easy (but weird to my colleagues) pivot. I also spent some time working on extra data-related projects and getting some relevant certs.
Do you regret your Humanities PhD in History?
I definitely do not regret my degree now BUT I absolutely had massive feelings of regret until I committed to leaving academia at the end. I really felt lost until I made that decision because I always had an inkling that academia was not the right fit but wasn't sure what else I could do. Committing to that decision made me think through: what other skills could I gain while being paid to learn that could make me employable outside of academia?
I think what also helped me not regret my choice was 1) I had full funding and TAships and 2) I got to live abroad and travel to places most people would never have the opportunity to go and see the things I've seen. That is of course very specific to archaeology/anthropology, and there are all sorts of ethical problems to consider with that "benefit" as well.
Does your current job have anything to do with History/Research?
My job is very similar to what I was doing in my degree as far as: contextualizing data, gaining "domain knowledge", writing up reports, presenting and communicating information to non-specialists. I knew almost nothing about the government stuff I'm involved in but I put on the ol' research cap and now I bore my partner relentlessly about local government policy stuff. It's fun! And I recently got to teach a class within my organization, so the teaching experience helped me out too.
posted by thebots at 5:47 PM on June 1, 2021
Not sure if this counts but I'm nearly done my PhD in Archaeology.
Are you working in academia? Museum? Government? Non-profit?
Currently working as a data analyst for a government body. My dissertation (strategically) involved a bunch of statistical analysis and some data science-y stuff which made this a pretty easy (but weird to my colleagues) pivot. I also spent some time working on extra data-related projects and getting some relevant certs.
Do you regret your Humanities PhD in History?
I definitely do not regret my degree now BUT I absolutely had massive feelings of regret until I committed to leaving academia at the end. I really felt lost until I made that decision because I always had an inkling that academia was not the right fit but wasn't sure what else I could do. Committing to that decision made me think through: what other skills could I gain while being paid to learn that could make me employable outside of academia?
I think what also helped me not regret my choice was 1) I had full funding and TAships and 2) I got to live abroad and travel to places most people would never have the opportunity to go and see the things I've seen. That is of course very specific to archaeology/anthropology, and there are all sorts of ethical problems to consider with that "benefit" as well.
Does your current job have anything to do with History/Research?
My job is very similar to what I was doing in my degree as far as: contextualizing data, gaining "domain knowledge", writing up reports, presenting and communicating information to non-specialists. I knew almost nothing about the government stuff I'm involved in but I put on the ol' research cap and now I bore my partner relentlessly about local government policy stuff. It's fun! And I recently got to teach a class within my organization, so the teaching experience helped me out too.
posted by thebots at 5:47 PM on June 1, 2021
I know a Ph.D in history who went to law school. While he did very well academically, he struggled a bit socially. Law school is filled with people in their early and mid-20s, and it seemed difficult for him to go from teaching those folks to being their peer. In some ways, I anticipate that this might impede his professional goals because success in the legal field can depend heavily on networking.
posted by ASlackerPestersMums at 6:35 PM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ASlackerPestersMums at 6:35 PM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
I work in heritage, in built environment conservation, in a private firm. It's kind of urban planning, kind of historical research, kind of building design advice. I describe my job as telling architects and engineers what they're allowed to knock down.
I did not finish my doctorate in history but got four years into it; I regret surprisingly little, considering. In the Government department I work with, a good proportion of the heritage specialists have doctorates in either history or archaeology; though that's not true of the field more generally, where Masters or diplomas in heritage, plus some work experience in an associated field, are more common.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 6:45 PM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
I did not finish my doctorate in history but got four years into it; I regret surprisingly little, considering. In the Government department I work with, a good proportion of the heritage specialists have doctorates in either history or archaeology; though that's not true of the field more generally, where Masters or diplomas in heritage, plus some work experience in an associated field, are more common.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 6:45 PM on June 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
I was ABD and work in a tech adjacent role in financial services. Of my cohort and those who went on to finish the PhD, almost all are in academia. One works for a non-profit (of the history organization type).
I love history and much of the work of being a historian, I hated academia, and am on the fence about whether I regret going for a PhD. While hiring managers have always considered my educational background to be an asset, personally I think it's more that it makes me sound "intellectual" as opposed to an understanding or appreciation of those skills.
posted by sm1tten at 9:38 PM on June 1, 2021
I love history and much of the work of being a historian, I hated academia, and am on the fence about whether I regret going for a PhD. While hiring managers have always considered my educational background to be an asset, personally I think it's more that it makes me sound "intellectual" as opposed to an understanding or appreciation of those skills.
posted by sm1tten at 9:38 PM on June 1, 2021
My wife has a PhD in history. Even has a book.
She had a visiting assistant professor job for a few years after finishing. Applied to every TT job out there. There would routinely be 400+ applicants for each job, all very qualified. It was madness.
Now she's an academic advisor at a big university. I don't think she loves it, but as far as jobs go it's a decent job.
I don't think she regrets her PhD exactly. She would have regretted not doing it more. But it's been a very tough time since finishing. She won't do the academic advisor thing forever, and I know she really misses teaching. But the truth is that there are very few jobs outside of academia that you'd be ahead by getting a humanities PhD. Pretty much any alt-ac job you could have gotten on an easier and cheaper route.
posted by Lutoslawski at 7:50 AM on June 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
She had a visiting assistant professor job for a few years after finishing. Applied to every TT job out there. There would routinely be 400+ applicants for each job, all very qualified. It was madness.
Now she's an academic advisor at a big university. I don't think she loves it, but as far as jobs go it's a decent job.
I don't think she regrets her PhD exactly. She would have regretted not doing it more. But it's been a very tough time since finishing. She won't do the academic advisor thing forever, and I know she really misses teaching. But the truth is that there are very few jobs outside of academia that you'd be ahead by getting a humanities PhD. Pretty much any alt-ac job you could have gotten on an easier and cheaper route.
posted by Lutoslawski at 7:50 AM on June 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
I was ABD in history when I dropped out because I didn't want to be in academia. I ended up going back to school for a second Master's in historic preservation, and my work is similar to Fiasco de Gama's, only in the US. The preservation field is practical history, in that I'm still researching and writing about history, but in support of preserving or rehabilitating historic buildings and landscapes. I don't at all regret my history degree, as the academic grounding has been very helpful in my career beyond what is offered in a typical HP program. There are some history Ph.Ds in the field but that kind of degree doesn't give you enough additional opportunities that I'd go back, or recommend someone get one.
posted by Preserver at 11:59 AM on June 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Preserver at 11:59 AM on June 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
I have a PhD in history and am now an associate prof in history, through a series of extraordinarily fortunate events. I love what I do, but I think very carefully about the very few PhD students I take on, and never shy away from highlighting the extremely low prospects of getting an academic job; in fact I only take on students who accept that as a very real outcome. And I try to teach them explicitly about how to translate PhD skills into contexts outside academia. My first PhD student just finished and has a postdoctoral position. So, fingers crossed.
posted by idlethink at 9:35 AM on June 3, 2021
posted by idlethink at 9:35 AM on June 3, 2021
This may not be representative but Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo has a PhD in history from Brown. I'm a fan of his and I think his history background -- not necessarily his specific area of study (17th Century New England, I think?) but rather the general academic training and perspectives you get from doing a PhD in history -- really does help inform and guide his journalistic instincts, especially when it comes to contextualizing current events.
posted by mhum at 5:27 PM on June 3, 2021
posted by mhum at 5:27 PM on June 3, 2021
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Despite the stresses and the chronic underfunding, and the fact that giving up your dream is traumatic, there are a lot worse ways I could've spent my twenties. However--unless I was independently wealthy, I wouldn't do it with the intention of later going on to non-academic work. It's a degree for academic jobs (in which I include museum and archive work).
posted by praemunire at 12:16 PM on June 1, 2021 [5 favorites]