You Don’t Have to Work at a Gas Station

1. You Don’t Have to Work at a Gas Station ….Unless you really want to!

2. People will tell you not to major in the Humanities…(3rd lowest employment rate here, “US History Majors”) Source: http://www.upworthy.com/do-you-know-which-college-majors-have-the-highest-and-lowest-employment-rates-2?c=ufb1

3. But it’s not about the “right” college major, success comes from motivation! Get involved in the campus or local community, VOLUNTEER -Don’t be afraid to speak up in class and talk to faculty -Regardless of grades and boring general ed. courses, do all work to the best of your ability -You may change your major. This is completely OK.

4. Employer Statistics What Employers Value Most (NACE Job Outlook, 2012) 1. Work in a team structure (4.60 out of 5, 5 = “extremely important”) 2. Communicate verbally with persons inside and outside the organization (4.59) 3. Make decisions and solve problems (4.49) 4. Obtain and process information (4.46) 5. Plan, organize, and prioritize work (4.45) 6. Analyze quantitative data (4.23) (We DO this in history) 7. Possess job-specific technical knowledge (4.23) 8. Software proficiency (4.04) 9. Create and edit written reports (3.65) 10. Sell, persuade, influence others (3.51)

5. What can I do with a History major? • Become a documentary filmmaker (Michael Rossi) • Become an IT professional (Philip Bess) • Work as an editor and writer (Scott Rohr) • Work in financial operations for a textbook company (Bill Stone) • Become a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist (Sonia Nazario) • Courtesy of Dr. John Fea’s blog: http://www.philipvickersfithian.com/search/label/So%20What%20Can%20You%20Do%20With%20a%20History%20Major

6. Cool stuff my friends have done (as History Majors) #1 Megan Sullivan • Intern at Harpers Ferry National Park • Gives tours on John Brown’s 1859 raid at Harpers Ferry Federal Arsenal, VA • Presents living history demonstrations • Soon attending graduate school at James Madison University, majoring in Public History • Also interned as an archivist at the State Museum

7. Cool stuff my friends have done (as History Majors) #2 • Megan Keller • For senior honors project, designed a free iPhone app that allows people to tour Hershey, PA and see its historic sites • Also works at Chocolate World • Rated as a student “on the cutting edge of Digital History” • President of the Messiah History Club • From Hershey, PA, and wants to “give back to her community”

8. What I’M doing as a Humanities Major • Majoring in History and Literature (interdisciplinary), graduating in December • Current internship at NYCHAPS, wrote document about Dill’s Tavern and Plantation • Planning and hosting American Girl Bingo • This summer: Gettysburg NMP Battlefield Interpretive Intern for 150th anniversary • Senior Honors Project on South in Civil War

9. NYCHAPS Internship: Insider Perspective/ Weird Things

10. How can Studying History Help Me? • Empathy: how do you feel when you read about the working class in the Gilded Age? A useful skill for any workplace environment. • Volunteerism- maintains a spirit of community- connectedness (and employers like this!) • Communication- increases your ability to convey difficult concepts. Essential for the job market.

11. Bottom Line: Do What’s Meaningful For You and For Society • Money may still be an issue, but try to find a sense of accomplishment in whatever you do • Volunteer on the weekends if your day job isn’t the greatest • Work on finding and working in an internship while in college • Once you graduate, apply to every job or internship you can think of • Reach out to people who seem helpful in your school or community

12. Contact Me: Elizabeth Motich • Feel free to ask me if you would like a tour of Messiah College, or to schedule an interview with my history professors • Email: em1283@messiah.edu

13. Questions