Career Searching in the Humanities

One of the most common questions I receive as a history major is: “What are you planning to do after graduation?” Friends and family are often anxious on my behalf, attempting to map out a linear path of my post-graduate career. My first year, I shared some of this anxiety as I watched my classmates draw clear paths between their first year courses and their future careers as doctors or investment bankers. I wasn’t sure of my post-graduate career, much less my summer plans, but several upperclassmen suggested our career center, Beyond Barnard, as a good place to start. 

My past encounters with career counselors in high school had been less than fruitful, with many of them pushing me to start thinking “past” my interest in history, suggesting that law school or a career in political consulting might be the endgame of my undergraduate studies. In contrast, the staff at Beyond Barnard weren’t looking to push me past my interests - they wanted to hear what I dreamed of doing. When I said that I had long considered working in a museum one day, they were excited to support me and signed me up for Barnard’s job-hunting portal, as well as our alumni connection website. New York City has dozens of large-scale museums, with each of them hosting a slew of internship opportunities. The staff and the peer career advisors (who are trained fellow students!) taught me how to navigate job hunting websites, write a cover letter, and even practiced mock interview questions with me! Moreover, I was invited to bring my resume to the center for review, where I sat down with a career advisor and we worked out how to best present my previous experience for future employers.

After summer internship prospects across the board deteriorated with the onset of COVID and museums across the country quickly shut down, the Beyond Barnard staff kept in touch with us about virtual opportunities, alumni seminars, and online application resources. Nevertheless, when the internship cycle started up again this fall, I was more nervous than ever about what COVID would mean for my museum ambitions. Banking internships and lab research positions had moved ahead, but it felt like those of us in the humanities were being left behind. A trip (virtually) to Beyond Barnard this semester allayed these fears; they reminded me that everyone is on their own timeline. The team at Beyond Barnard told me that internships for these fields were delayed as institutions tried to gauge what the summer would look like, but I would nonetheless benefit from getting a head start on revamping my resume. Baby steps, they told me, until one day I’d be able to hit the ground running. As I continue exploring my career options, it’s comforting to know that I have the support of Beyond Barnard behind me.