History -love it or hate it; you can’t ignore it.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History is an Undergraduate program offered by Universities at a college level in India. The BA courses are open to students who have successfully qualified 10+2 or equivalent examination from a recognized board or university. BA History subjects focus on Indian and international history.
Here are the top career options that one can pursue after completing a Bachelors in History in India:
Archivists
If you loved doing your Bachelor of Arts in History so much that you can’t get enough of it, and if you are also deeply passionate about the subject, then becoming an archivist may just be the right career choice for you.
Archivists help acquire, catalog, and maintain historical documents and records intended for display or storage in a museum or other facilities. These items can come in the form of audio, video, pictorial records, or paper documents. Some archivists choose to specialize in one of these specific records formats.
The goal of an Archivist is to preserve such original records. It is a 9-5 job, which means that you will have enough time to spend with your friends and family. Finding a job in this space is not super-difficult, especially if you have samples and portfolio projects which scream about your abundance of talent to the potential employers.
Leadership opportunities are available to the few that are good enough to get to the top. A lot of soft skills are needed in this profession, and being an introvert might work against you. A high level of confidence is definitely a prerequisite. If you are not comfortable working within a team, and if your communication skills are next to nothing, this may not be your best bet.
Another important thing to note is salaries. Salaries are often dependent on a number of things, such as location, company, skills and so on. But on average, you can expect to earn anywhere around 3,00,000-4,00,000 rupees as a fresher in this field. Some companies offer more, some companies offer less, but the amount we have provided to you can be a good reference point for negotiations.
Information Managers
A slightly unique or offbeat career option for students of BA History is becoming an Information Manager. But being unique does not mean that the work is not good or that the pay is not that high. It just means that there are not a lot of people who tread this path, for whatever reason it may be.
So, what are the responsibilities and work profile of an Information Manager, you may ask? Worry not, we have the answer. They communicate job expectations, plan, monitor, and appraise job results. They coach, counsel, and discipline employees. They also initiate, coordinate, and enforce systems, policies, and procedures.
As you can see, the work is very interesting, especially if you are interested in management. But a word of warning if you are not particularly a ‘manager-type’ guy (or girl), please don’t get into this profession as you would be miserable most of the time. Don’t say that we didn’t warn you!
And of course, how can we not talk about salaries. Starting salaries are roughly in the range of 4,50,000-5,00,000 rupees per annum. Mostly employment would be found in cities, so if you are from a rural or semi-urban area, be ready to relocate.
Growth prospects (both monetary and otherwise) are great at the moment (we wouldn’t be recommending this to you otherwise, would we?). So, to stress the original point of this article, becoming an Information Manager is a great option for BA History graduates.
Librarian
As a BA History graduate, you will (we hope) be well-versed with documents, books and all the different intricacies around this subject. So how about you do something that actually uses all that information stored inside your brain. Nice idea? Yeah, we thought so.
Becoming a Librarian is just about the perfect way to do that. In simple words, what an Librarian does is selecting, developing, classifying, and cataloguing the resources of a library. Also, they answer the queries of readers. As staff managers, they also recruit, supervise, and train personnel in the library.
If there is any other job that is more suitable for a fresh History graduate? If it exists, we don’t know about it. Which is highly unlikely, because if you haven’t noticed, we are a website about careers.
In the beginning of your career, you can expect to earn about anywhere between 2,50,000-3,00,000 rupees per annum. And as you get more experience behind your name, this number is only going to become bigger and bigger.
What are you waiting for? Start sending out applications, and who knows, you may just strike gold.
Public Relations Officer
If you’re unsure about all the above given options, then becoming a Public Relations Officer may be the right fit for you. Lately the demand has been rising like crazy and now would be the perfect time to get into the job market for this field. If you have opened LinkedIn lately, you would have definitely seen that it is filled with employers asking for public relation officers.
Okay, great. But what does a Public Relation Officer actually do? Here’s the answer.
Public Relations (PR) is about managing reputation. PR Officers provide support and understanding to clients and try to influence the public’s opinion and behavior. All means of media and communication are used to manage the reputation of the client.
Sometimes your responsibilities may be more or less, but in essence, it all boils down to generating a favorable image of your client. So if you think that you would enjoy doing that, then becoming a Politician might just be your best option.
Let’s get to the juicy part. Starting salaries are in the range of 9,00,000-10,00,000 rupees per annum but the earning potential is sky-high. And keep in mind that this is an average estimate, and your salary would be more than this if you live in a major town or a tier-1 city.
Leadership opportunities are available with time, and the potential for career growth is phenomenal. But keep in mind that this is a desk job, so travel will rarely be a part of your professional life. So if travel is a big priority or a make-or-break thing for you, this career option may not be your best bet.
Politician
Want to do something that helps people in a tangible way? Want to bring real, positive change into the world? As a BA History graduate, your best bet to achieve these dreams is to become a Politician.
So how does a Politician do all this? They represent the financial, economic, administrative, and educational interests of particular communities, and also attempt to be elected in order to represent those interests at the legislative level. They have responsibilities of the scale of municipal, regional or national level.
As you can see, if you really love helping people and want to dedicate your life to such a cause, you can definitely go down this route.
Work-life balance, expectedly, is a bit hectic in this profession because your work life and your personal life overlaps quite a bit. What happened during ‘job hours’ may affect your mood during your off-hours.
The best part about his job is the rewarding nature of it. You can go to sleep everyday knowing that you have helped someone in their lives, and they are thankful to you for it. Growth prospects are also good, and leadership opportunities are available from a very early stage. A lot of soft skills are needed to excel in this role.
Salaries differ, but on average, you would be earning roughly 2,00,000-3,00,000 rupees per annum when you begin your career. Monetary growth is slow, but steady.
So these were some of the highest-paying professions that you can go for after completing a B.A. in History. Did you like the article and found it informative? Then please share it with fellow history students so that they can make well-informed decisions about their professional life. Subscribe to our newsletter to get a weekly update about the different career options added on the website.