Axe ’Em, Jacks!
The most valuable job skill
In business and in life, you need to know the landscape to get ahead: the market, the players, the events that shaped them and where it’s all headed. Knowing how to study a scene or a culture, pick out the important details and draw useful conclusions is an immeasurably valuable skill.
The study of history has been valued as a part of classical education since the Middle Ages because knowledge of history is knowledge of people – their wants, needs, motivations and the consequences of their actions. From cautionary tales to inspirational legends, the past gives us context for the present and tells us what might happen in the future.
Skills like these allow history majors to thrive in a variety of careers, including
- education
- museums, archives and historic sites
- politics and public service
- International business.
No matter what area of history you might specialize in during your education, the skills you learn at ĢƵ will be adaptable to a wide variety of careers.
What kinds of jobs can I get with a history degree?
About half of all ĢƵ’s undergraduate history students become history and social studies teachers at the middle and high school levels. Our excellent education program gives those students vital hands-on experience in the classroom before going on to teach in schools all across the state of Texas.
Many of our students also go on to business and law school. Their worldly, global perspective is valuable not only to large corporations, but increasingly to small local businesses operating internationally thanks to the power of the internet.
Undergraduate and graduate students may take their public history coursework and experiences working at the many historical venues in and around Nacogdoches to the next level, continuing their work at museums, parks, historic sites, archives and historical societies across the country.
Job availability and growth
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
High school teachers:
“Employment of high school teachers is projected to show little or no change from 2025 to 2035. Despite limited employment growth, about 63,500 openings for high school teachers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
The median annual wage for high school teachers was $72,040 in May 2025.
Historians:
“Employment of historians is projected to grow 3 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 300 openings for historians are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
The median annual wage for historians was $76,750 in May 2025.
Archivists, curators and museum workers:
“Overall employment of archivists, curators and museum workers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 4,300 openings for archivists, curators and museum workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
The median annual wage for archivists, curators and museum workers was $60,330 in May 2025.
History degrees in action
Lumberjacks who study history have bright futures. Our graduates go on to become high school teachers and college professors. Some go on to graduate school. When you study history, the career possibilities are nearly limitless.
Want to know what history can do for your future? Check out what some of our graduates are doing with their history degrees.