jobs in history

[STARKEZ]

i am really interested in history, i have a g.c.s.e. in history but thats it. i want to be an historian but dont want to be bogged down with two years of a levels then another three to five years in university. is there anyway i could get round this? any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[acw]

If it helps, a history degree only takes 3 years.  It's only medicine that takes 5 years. 

I'm sure you could be an amateur historian without qualifications. 

However, to be honest, I think again that the best way to find out about a career as an historian is to contact people in the business and see what they think.  They will have good advice. 

In my opinion, a lot of the work of an historian is writing books and sharing their thoughts with others.  Even the TV historians wrote books first to gain a credible reputation.  I would think, therefore, that to get that excellent reputation, you'd have to get more than GCSEs. 

A Levels are hard work, but can be a lot of fun too.  And university, for a majority of people, is the best three years of their life.  If you do a credible degree such as history, at a well respected university, you certainly improve your career prospects and it justifies the expense.  The amount that you learn about other stuff in life (i.e., the stuff you learn about life itself) is also invaluable!  Uni isn't like school - you are treated like an adult and you do your own thing.  :-)

Think carefully about what you want to do and remember that whilst it's better to do these things young, it's never too late to change your mind. 

I would say that these days, it's definitely better to have more qualifications than less.

Good luck! :-)

[Hermia]

Also bear in mind that the sort of historians who write books/appear on TV often work in universities. They will generally have MAs and PhDs and will spend a lot of their time reading and researching. So, basically if that's what you want to do be prepared for a life in academia! Even if you become an amateur historian be prepared for the fact that you will need to spend a lot of time reading and researching the subject. A friend of mine used to do those history walks in London and he had to know his subject inside out. People used to fire all these questions at him and he had to be able to answer everything.

[Hermia]

PS. Are you interested in Archaeology? It still involves a lot of study, but you might enjoy the practical element.