Plan a future with history

Pervin Malhotra

If history is your favourite subject and you are in a fix about your career options  after a degree in this, then you need not lose sleep as this subject can prepare you for a number of careers. 

History involves both the study of individual societies over extended periods of time and the study of several societies simultaneously to enrich our understanding of the past. It provides distinctive insights into differing political, cultural, social and economic structures in past societies and their interrelationship. 

The study of History at higher levels includes study of historiography, historical research methods and studies of specific periods.

History offers three main specialisations

Archaeology, Museology and Archival studies. 

With a background in history, you can specialise in these fields as most of these courses are offered at the postgraduate level. 

Archaeology: An archaeologist’s work is either research-based or field-oriented. Excavation work is only one aspect of archaeology. Most of them specialise in particular objects of study and thereby become experts on coins (numismatist), weapons, sculpture, deciphering of inscriptions (epigraphist), etc. 

Archaeologists are employed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is entrusted with the upkeep of 3,600 monuments, State departments of archaeology of different State governments, heritage bodies, museums and research institutions.

Museology: Museologists, on the other hand, work in museums and much of their work is a combination of research, administration and public relations. As a museum curator, you could specialise in natural history, metals, terracotta, textiles, paintings, etc. 

This profession requires an artistic and aesthetic bent of mind combined with administrative skills. Your work would also include maintaining a record of each item i.e. from where it has been acquired, its age, conservation treatment and such details. 

Archival studies: Archivists are well-versed in preservation, repairing parchment and paper manuscripts and microfilming documents. They work in museums, libraries, the National Archives of India and in different state archives.

Fields to focus on

A degree in history equips you with a set of transferable skills applicable to a wide range of careers such as law, publishing, journalism and the media, museums, librarianship and archive work, teaching, advertising, work in the development sector, global charity work, etc

History is also a popular optional subject for the Civil Services (Main) exam. If you aren’t intimidated by the vastness of the syllabus, it has a number of advantages: it’s easier to grasp, there’s no dearth of study material and it covers a key segment of the General Studies paper.  

In addition to teaching history in schools and colleges, Historians are employed as researchers in historical research organisations such as Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and Indian Council of Social Sciences Research (ICSSR).