I have a History Degree

That's right folks, you are reading the blog of a trained historian.

Trained. Not practicing. LOL.

I have a bachelor of arts in History. A whole five years dedicated to the subject.

And I spent years wishing I had a different degree, a more useful degree. But recently I've realized several reasons why having a degree in History is all kinds of awesome.

1. A degree in History is basically a degree in finding s*** out.
That's right, ladies & gentlemen, if I put my mind to it, I can find just about anything out. Just ask my husband.

The education you receive while in the History program is research: how to hunt down references, dig thru primary vs secondary vs tertiary sources, determine validity of information found, make inferences and draw conclusions from your research, etc.

I have gained a reputation at work for "knowing everything". I don't know everything. It's not about what I know. It's about the fact that if I don't know, I can find the answer. Relatively quickly.

2. A degree in History equals winning more arguments than you lose.
It's true. And it drives the people around me nuts. If I'm going to engage you in an argument, I'm going to have the information to back it up. I'm going to take the time to verify my position first. It's what I was trained to do.

And if I happen to slip and let you engage me before I do so, and am somehow proven wrong, I will sure as heck take the time to make sure that doesn't happen again. I will gather my information, verify my stance (or change it, if need be), and I will make darn sure I am ready for the next time that topic comes up.

In our current society, this is not the case. It seems like nowadays people are happy enough to base their arguments on feelings & emotions, or the latest media headline, instead of taking the time to verify their information before engaging in conversation about a subject. When you start spewing historical data at them to make your case, they have no choice but to back down or to reveal their ignorance. Either way... win!

* this may also be the reason my mom once told me I should be a lawyer

3. A degree in History means never needing CEUs to maintain current in your field.
This is my latest revelation. Yes, it's nice to keep up on current events, think about how they tie into a region / the world from a historical perspective. Yes, it's interesting to read up on new historical / archeological finds, or history from areas (or eras) you didn't focus on in your studies. Or that you did.

But... it's history. There's no updated techniques to learn. No fast-moving developments that need to be kept up on. No mandatory CEUs.

4. But... A degree in History means there's always more to learn. If you want to.
While it's awesome that you don't need to keep up with your education, there is enough historical knowledge out there that if you have an interest in it, there's plenty more to learn. Always.

5. A degree in History means writing off a vacation in the name of education.
Some of the most fascinating places I've been have been full of history. You can go on vacation, and slip in a historical visit at the same time.

In short, you can actually visit these places. They exist! You can see them. You can touch them. You can take your picture there. And that, in my humble history bug opinion, is awesome.