Soft Skills Are Career Skills
The World Economic Forum surveyed 371 companies around the world and asked them the ten essential skills workers will need by 2020. Their answers are listed below:
- Complex problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- People management
- Coordinating with others
- Emotional intelligence
- Judgment and decision making
- Service orientation
- Negotiation skills
- Cognitive flexibility
In other words, HISTORY teaches the skills required for career success. The World Economic Forum “concluded that human skills like originality, initiative, and critical thinking are likely to increase in value as technology and automation advances.”2 Similarly LinkedIn reported that strengthening soft skills “is one of the best investments you can make in your career, as they never go out of style. Plus, the rise of AI is only making soft skills increasingly important, as they are precisely the type of skills robots can’t automate. That’s why 57% of senior leaders today say soft skills are more important than hard skills.”
Career Skills Lead to Positive Career Outcomes
Despite the stereotype that history and other humanities majors are “useless majors,” the skills you acquire as a history major can also lead to amazing career paths in a wide range of well-paying occupations. For young people (aged 25-34) in the US, the unemployment rate of those with a humanities degree is 4%. An engineering or business degree comes with an unemployment rate of a little more than 3%.
According to the New York Federal Reserve Bank’s 2019 Labor Market study, history majors earn a mid-career median salary of $66,000 a year, which is roughly $22,000 higher than the national median salary for those who have received a Bachelor’s degree.
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Historians as Entertainers
- Comedian
- Actor
- Documentary Filmmaker
Historians as Business-People
- Banking
- Market Research Analyst
- Human Resources Specialist
- Public Relations Specialist
- Social Media Managers
Historians as Information Managers
- Curator
- Information Managers
- Records Management
- Librarian
- Archivist
Historians as Advocates
- Lawyer
- Public Policy Analyst
- Legislative Staff
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Historians as Educators
- Elementary School Teachers
- Middle School Teachers
- Secondary School Teachers
- College Professors
Historians as Researchers
- Historian
- Political Scientist
- Archeologist
- Policy Analyst
- City Planners
- Museum Educator
Historians as Writers and Editors
- Broadcast Journalists
- Print Journalist
- Editor
- Writer
Potential Career Options
Click on any job title to learn more.
| Job Title | Typical Education | Median Wage |
| Actors | Bachelor's Degree | $47,647 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | Bachelor's Degree | $63,445 |
| Historians | Bachelor's Degree | $69,085 |
| Human Resources Specialists | Bachelor's Degree | $67,433 |
| Public Relations Specialists | Bachelor's Degree | $61,612 |
| Curators | Master's or Professional Degree | $61,966 |
| Public Relations and Fundraising Managers | Bachelor's Degree | $135,463 |
| Administrative Services Managers | Bachelor's Degree | $107,539 |
| Management Analysts | Bachelor's Degree | $87,151 |
| Librarians | Master's or Professional Degree | $80,895 |
| Archivists | Master's or Professional Degree | $67,815 |
| Lawyers | Master's or Professional Degree | $144,372 |
| Political Scientists | Doctoral Degree or more | $66,781 |
| Elementary School Teachers | Bachelor's Degree | $84,747 |
| Middle School Teachers | Bachelor's Degree | $77,212 |
| Secondary School Teachers | Bachelor's Degree | $83,127 |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | Master's or Professional Degree | $83,660 |
| Archeologists | Master's or Professional Degree | $61,459 |
| City and Regional Planning Aides | Bachelor's Degree | $45,769 |
| Tour Guides and Escorts | Associate Degree | $35,146 |
| Broadcast News Analysts | Bachelor's Degree | $70,862 |
| Reporters and Correspondents | Bachelor's Degree | $48,601 |
| Editors | Bachelor's Degree | $61,569 |
| Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers | Bachelor's Degree | $57,154 |