Academic/General Training Module by Adam Smith First Published in 2015

History Is Useful in the World of Work 
History is useful for work. Its study helps create good businesspeople, professionals, 
and political leaders. The number of explicit professional jobs for historians is 
considerable, but most people who study history do not become professional 
historians. Professional historians teach at various levels, work in museums and media 
centers, do historical research for businesses or public agencies, or participate in the 
growing number of historical consultancies. These categories are important—indeed 
vital—to keep the basic enterprise of history going, but most people who study history 
use their training for broader professional purposes. Students of history find their 
experience directly relevant to jobs in a variety of careers as well as to further study in 
fields like law and public administration. Employers often deliberately seek students 
with the kinds of capacities historical study promotes. The reasons are not hard to 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
144 
identify: students of history acquire, by studying different phases of the past and 
different societies in the past, a broad perspective that gives them the range and 
flexibility required in many work situations. They develop research skills, the ability to 
find and evaluate sources of information, and the means to identify and evaluate 
diverse interpretations. Work in history also improves basic writing and speaking skills 
and is directly relevant to many of the analytical requirements in the public and private 
sectors, where the capacity to identify, assess, and explain trends is essential. 
Historical study is unquestionably an asset for a variety of work and professional 
situations, even though it does not, for most students, lead as directly to a particular 
job slot, as do some technical fields. But history particularly prepares students for the 
long haul in their careers, its qualities helping adaptation and advancement beyond 
entry-level employment. There is no denying that in our society many people who are 
drawn to historical study worry about relevance. In our changing economy, there is 
concern about job futures in most fields. Historical training is not, however, an 
indulgence; it applies directly to many careers and can clearly help us in our working 
lives.