K thru 12 here 100+ but its a rather unique situation.

I was making over $100k as a network engineer in the past. There was period from about 97-01 when everything you touched turned to gold. I could work a day job, then teach and make $100 an hour teaching MCSE training courses at night. Insane. I was a chimp in a suit who understood routing tables and LDAP.

Right now cultural anthropologists can make a lot of money. Sociologists as well. People who can write well and engage new areas are in demand as well.

Liberal arts degrees are worth what you make with them.

I have a masters in engineering and a PE.
The union painters here on campus make more than I do a year.
Almost makes me wish I picked up a paint brush instead of books!

Ding, Ding, Ding. Ton's of that around these parts, myself included. It really is suprising what O/G will pay...well more like insane. These companies are not frugal spenders when it comes to good workers. I am poised to make a move soon to a company that will double my pay.

Exciting times.

That has not been my experience, unfortunately. I've almost completed my master's degree, I've interned at a museum and created my own exhibit (which included extensive archival research and writing), and I've joined The State Historical Society of Missouri and other professional organizations to network with people in my field. I've put out more resumes than I can count; with federal, state, and private museums and historical sites.

Still, I haven't been able to land so much as a tour-guide position. I've shifted my focus to landing government or civil service work because historical work is simply unrealistic in this economy. I can't speak for sociology or other liberal arts, but I would dissuade most anyone from working toward a history degree.

I'm sorry Brian but you picked the wrong field... I really love history, and do really well in History classes. But I see that the only real future in that is teaching.... I'm not cut out for that, so I picked something else.

I know, and you made the right choice...if only I could do it over again I would have been a dentist. :D

Why not now? Its never too late to go back to school... There are plenty of 30+ students in my classes. I had one lab TA that just got accepted to Pharmacy school in her Mid 40s

Didn't finish college and don't make $100K.

I've never had a job other than the restaurant and I enjoy the heck out of what I do.

I would like to make more money, I guess that is why we keep pushing.

The keyword in there is "campus." Are you teaching? Are you the building and ops engineer? I've never thought there was as much money in academia as there is in the private industry.

Although, I had an SAE advisor at the University of Illinois who enjoyed driving Ferraris and Porsches while he was teaching engineering....he also consulted for Penske and other racing teams.

yes, his big bucks comment makes me not want to donate

I know a technician who worked for a railroad company and got laid off. He went to an accelerated program for oil and gas technicians, and is now well employed and making more money than before.


You just got to keep your eyes out for opportunity....and take the blinders off (explore other fields)!

I've thought about it, I guess it's the fear of more student loans that has stopped me. If I don't land something permanent soon, I will probably go back for something more technical.

Sounds great, Tom. I'm sure you've seen me post about this before, but it is only going to get better for a young guy like you as the years pass. The wave of retirement is already starting....

...did you hear that? It's opportunity at your door! SmileWavy

Have you thought of doing something with environmental survey? With your history background and environmental training, you might land a job with a consulting firm that surveys right of way for utilities or construction. That is, you go in, and tell the companies whether the site is historically or environmentally sensative. That kind of stuff gets big bucks.

Of course you can't be tied to just one town...but that can be said about most jobs.

I would be interested in that, is there a good market for it? I'm trying to branch out, away from purely historical work. Even the curator at the museum I interned at hinted at the limited opportunities in that field. So I'm open to most anything...

So not to appear testy, but why exactly did you major in history, and what were your expectations regarding what you'd do when you graduated?

I would start by looking for an environmental firm (google - pipeline survey, environmental survey, etc) in your area. See if they are hiring and try to get in without additional educational expense. Otherwise you'll need to get some education in environmental sciences. If you market yourself to the survey firms well, they may see a potential in you to help them long term. Someone with knowledge (or can research) of local history and training in archeology and/or environment and can do the field work would be of some value to a consulting firm.

You have to figure out your objective. Do you want to put your history digree to any use at all? Or you just want to have a good job and enjoy history as a hobby?

I was going to teach Social Studies. However, I did a little work in a museum and loved it, so I decided to change my focus to curating or archival work. The museum I worked at lost city funding and became reliant on private donations. One curator and an educator were laid-off, leaving only one curator. Governments will cut costs by eliminating non-essentials first, like art and history museums. Liberal arts falls under non-essential in most fields outside education and psychology. I worked for a year in the public school system, and I know I don't want to teach. That's about it in a nutshell. :)