What career options are there for history grads?

Pervin Malhotra

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Q.I am a final year student of BA course. History is my favourite subject. However, apart from teaching I’m not aware of the careers that I can pursue after this degree. Please guide me about the different opportunities available? — Gauri Uppal

A. 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 the 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.

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.

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.

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.

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, one can also be employed as researcher in historical research organisations such as Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and Indian Council of Social Sciences Research (ICSSR).

I want to continue education after a gap

Q.I am a young housewife. I had to discontinue my studies due to the casual attitude of my parents. I could not even complete my matriculation. Please advise how I can continue my studies. I feel very inadequate. — Minal Rathod

A. So what if you couldn’t complete your schooling then? Nothing is lost. You can happily continue your education at any stage of your life. Even now!

The Open School and university system is specifically designed for people like you, who may have had to discontinue their studies for one reason or another.

In fact, India has one of the most well-established ODL networks in Asia with over 15 open universities functioning in different parts of the country.

The National Institute of Open Schooling, under the Department of Education, GoI is one option. NIOS conducts exams at the matriculation level for which the notification is issued in June/July and the application deadline is August. The forms are available at NIOS study centres at a nominal price.

In addition to a wide range of vocational courses NIOS also offers one-year certificate courses in computer applications and library science etc, which you may find useful.

The best thing about NIOS is that you don’t have to take all your exams in one go. You can do so in different lots and at your convenience.

Yet another option, if you wish to continue your education further, is to seek direct enrolment for a bachelor’s degree at an Open University like IGNOU. Even if you don’t have the necessary formal qualifications, you can apply for these student-friendly courses at any age and even more conveniently, from home if you so wish. While some of these open universities admit students on the basis of an entrance test, others like IGNOU ask you to take a short preparatory programme (BPP) prior to joining the course. Besides these, several regular universities offer an array of degree and diploma level courses through their distance learning programmes. So just go ahead and study as much as you want.

Are engineers eligible for CSIR-NET

Q.I am a student of BTech (Biotech) final year and am interested in teaching and research. I want to appear for CSIR-NET, but I don’t know whether I am eligible for the exam or not. Kindly let me know about the eligibility criteria for this test. — Sagar Thakkar

A. To broaden the scope of CSIR-UGC NET and attract meritorious students at an early stage of their career, the eligibility criteria was revised a few years back to include the following degrees:

(ii) Chemical Sciences; ii) Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean & Planetary Sciences; iii) Life Sciences; iv) Mathematical Sciences; v) Physical Sciences; vi) Engineering Sciences):

• BSc (Hons)
• BS (4-yrs)
• BE/BTech
• BPharm
• MBBS
• Integrated BS-MS
• MSc

To encourage engineering graduates like you to pursue PhD and lectureship, CSIR-NET has a sixth paper in engineering sciences which is common to all engineering disciplines.

The sample paper and syllabus are available on the CSIR website www.csirhrdg.res.in

Fourth year students like you can also apply. The minimum percentage is 55 per cent for General category (50 per cent for SC/ST/PH).

However, bachelor’s degree holders (in science or engineering will be eligible for JRF only on enrolment for PhD /integrated PhD within two years.

CSIR and UGC jointly conduct the NET twice a year in June and December, generally on the third Sunday of these months.

There is only one three-hour paper comprising three sections (A, B & C).

Only the top 15 per cent candidates in the NET merit list for each subject and category (based on aggregate scores) will be declared qualified and eligible for lectureship.

A separate list is drawn up for JRFs from among the NET qualifiers in the merit list.

Difference between e-learning and distance learning courses

Q. Could you please explain the difference between e-learning and distance learning programmes?

— Kunal Khanna

A. Unlike distance learning, which is a modified term for the old correspondence courses, e-learning programmes use computer technology to design, deliver, select, administer and extend learning via the Internet. It basically involves using a computer or electronic device to provide training, education or learning material. With e-learning, ample online resources are provided with no restrictions on the number of users. Overall, e-learning provides a more student-centric environment.

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