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[TD1]

Hey all. This is a rather wide-ranging (not to mention horribly subjective) question, so my apologies in advance.

Since I started university, and a bit before, I wanted to be a lecturer. I got a first degree with honours in English and History and started my Master's in History, and anticipate a first there as well (all being well). Recently, I've examined my ambition more closely and realised that I don't want to do a PhD. I feel like I could do one, but the drive to do so is gone - I don't want to be a lecturer, and while I love my subject I don't feel a PhD for the sake of a PhD is a good idea.

Which makes this my last year in education, and my future is suddenly uncharted for the first time.

As such, I'm going to be looking for employment, and I of course want the best paid job available. But I'm not even sure where to look, or what job I could feasibly do with a predominantly-humanities based subject. If anyone has any insights or experience with the same, I'd be thankful.

As an aside, I live in the U.K. (Northern Ireland), and don't have any plans to leave.

[Telgin]

I don't feel a PhD for the sake of a PhD is a good idea.

I can say from experience that you're correct.  My feelings on this subject change every time I talk about it, and while I don't actively regret spending time on my Ph.D and can kind of buy one of my professors' quote that a Ph.D is good for your soul instead of your wallet, it was a pretty painful experience for something that doesn't do me any good right now.  If I could go back, I might seriously stop with my M.E. since it's much more directly relevant to what I do for a living and would have saved me 5 years.  The culture around academia is kind of cool, but I just do not have much interest in being involved in it anymore.

My advice can only really come from my experience, but it was in a different field (computer science) and different country (U.S.) which may make it much less relevant.  Anyway, my suggestion was going to be to talk to your adviser to see if they know of any opportunities.  While I was still doing my Master's degree, my adviser was presented with a few internship opportunities that he then forwarded to me, and which I accepted.  If you can get an internship somewhere while you're still a student, even if it's unpaid, I'd highly suggest taking it.  Work experience is very important.  Probably much more important than time spent as a student.

In my case, the internship I took there didn't lead directly to a job opportunity, but it did lead to one a few years later when some of the people at the national lab transferred to a new department at the local university.  I happened to already have a job at that point so I declined, but it was a chance I otherwise wouldn't have had.

I don't know what kinds of opportunities an undergraduate degree in English and a Master's in history might open up, but it doesn't hurt to ask, does it?

Otherwise, I know you said you're not interested in being a lecturer anymore, but what about teaching in general?  At least here, in the southeastern U.S., that's what people with those degrees are typically expected to go into, and again, here, a degree in that field is usually enough to be a gradeschool teacher instead of needing a proper teaching degree.

[TD1]

Many thanks for the reply.

Concerning teaching in general - my friends joke that I'm doing a "teaching degree," but while I believe I would make a good teacher (at the risk of sounding pretentious, I'm passionate about my subject and feel I would have the best interests of the students themselves at heart) I just don't see myself doing it.

A good idea about consulting the adviser. I'm already fortunate in that I've had - and will have again for a month over Christmas - paid work with the BBC archive. But perhaps the adviser could forward more pertinent information.

[Iduno]

Many thanks for the reply.

Concerning teaching in general - my friends joke that I'm doing a "teaching degree," but while I believe I would make a good teacher (at the risk of sounding pretentious, I'm passionate about my subject and feel I would have the best interests of the students themselves at heart) I just don't see myself doing it.

A good idea about consulting the adviser. I'm already fortunate in that I've had - and will have again for a month over Christmas - paid work with the BBC archive. But perhaps the adviser could forward more pertinent information.

Don't sweat it. I graduated over a decade ago, and I still don't have any idea where I want to go with my career. Everything will work out, as long as you aren't adverse to selling your organs.

[DFNewb]

If you wanted a good paying job you shouldn't have gone into English and History.

With that said, many large companies are willing to give you a shot at an analyst position if you have experience working and a degree (even if it is not in a analytical field).

Aside from an analyst position at a firm, I am not sure what you can do with an English degree and get paid a decent wage. I don't think there are any jobs out there that only take English degrees or history degrees for example.

Since this is general discussion, I have a question for you. Why did you pick a degree with no profession attached to it? I know you said you wanted to lecture but you can lecture with any degree.

Thanks!

[TD1]

If I wanted to lecture in English or History, where my interests and passions lie, then I couldn't do just any degree. It would need to be relevant.

And I picked the topic because I was - and continue to be - passionate about it.

Jobs directly related to history/English do seem fairly rare. However, they're not non-existent. Teachers, obviously. Archivists, journalists, museum curators.

Don't sweat it. I graduated over a decade ago, and I still don't have any idea where I want to go with my career. Everything will work out, as long as you aren't adverse to selling your organs.

Now that you mention it, I have been told on many occasions that my left kidney is possessed of a "pleasing consistency which would appeal to the general market".

[ChairmanPoo]

What about civil service?

[TD1]

Hrm, strangely hadn't occurred to me. Strange, that is, because my sister and mother both work(ed) for it. I'll ask my sister if there's anything going.

Good idea, thanks.