Five Jobs for Humanities Grads

Humanities Jobs

• Lawyer
• Writer
• Archivist
• Editor
• Teacher

When you major in a subject like humanities, you may wonder about the humanities jobs that you can get later. While some majors like business or nursing help you qualify for specific types of jobs in specific industries, humanities is a little more general because it requires the study of so many different subjects and topics. As you develop strong research and writing skills in these programs, you'll find that you qualify for a number of unexpected jobs.

Lawyer

Though many students enter law school after finishing a pre-law program, majoring in the humanities can help set you apart from other applicants. Law school gives you the chance to learn more about different areas of law like commercial, real estate and entertainment law and can help you decide which area you want to practice. Once you finish law school, you will need to pass the bar exam, which the American Bar Association administers. You cannot practice law until you pass the exam in the state in which you want to practice.

Writer

Writing is a field open to humanities majors that actually includes a number of different positions. You can do technical writing and create instructional manuals for popular electronics and products, become a writer of fiction or non-fiction books, work for a newspaper or magazine or write your own articles for an online blog. A large number of people make money with books they write and self-publish on Amazon and other platforms too. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, writers and authors make a median salary of more $61,000 a year.

Archivist

If you study history in a humanities program and love museums and historical centers, you might enjoy working as an archivist. All the artifacts and exhibitions that you see on display are the result of long hours that archivists spend working behind the scenes. They document all the artifacts collected and take steps to preserve those pieces and ensure that the pieces do not fall apart in the future. Museums also hire conservation experts to help them create a collection of artifacts and source pieces from auctions, individual sellers and other sources.

Editor

While writing is one of the more popular humanities jobs, you may prefer working as an editor instead. Though editors do not usually do much writing, they do edit the writing that others do. As an editor of non-fiction work, you'll look at statistics and research to ensure that anything mentioned is correct. Editors are also responsible for catching any grammar or spelling mistakes before a piece goes to print. Some editors work in publishing houses and edit the work of multiple authors, but you can also work as a freelance editor from the comfort of your own home or office.

Teacher

As a humanities major, you learn more than dates and facts. When you study a specific moment in history, you learn about the economic, cultural and other factors that led to that event as well as the impact that event had on the future. The ability to look at different factors relating to an event can help you succeed as a teacher. Many states let you apply for a teaching license with a bachelor's degree in any field. Depending on the state in which you want to teach, you may need to pass a criminal and/or civil background check too.

When you pick a major in college, you have some idea of what you want to do with that degree. With so many different humanities jobs that you qualify for based on your skills, you'll find a number of jobs waiting for you after graduation.

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