Historians are the record keepers of humanity. They are social scientists
who study, record and interpret important historical and social events.
Historians generally focus on one or two areas. For instance, some may
specialize in subjects like the French Revolution, studying the political
and social conditions that led to this event.
Other historians may be involved in subjects like the history of medicine,
hockey, fashion or espionage. Whatever topic you're interested in, it almost
certainly has a past that you can explore!
The common goal of historians is to find out what happened and why, and
how we got to where we are now. Their interpretation of events is vital to
the way we view the world.
"History is about all of us -- your house, your ancestors, your community,"
says historian C. Morgan Grefe.
Historians spend a great deal of time and effort researching their subject
to help explain events. They may turn to government and institutional records,
newspapers, photographs, films, unpublished manuscripts, diaries and letters.
These are called primary documents.
If the subject is more recent, historians may also interview people for
information.
Once the research is complete, the real challenge begins. This information
is assembled, analyzed and interpreted so that a story is created. The goal
is to produce an accurate description of the how and the why of events.
Most historians work as professors at universities, teaching and writing
about their area of specialty. Many others work for governments, historical
societies and museums.
While an academic historian in a university tries to figure out what happened
and why, a historian in a museum works to communicate that history to the
general public. In most cases, historians work behind a desk -- either alone
or with colleagues. They may also teach classes, conduct research in libraries
or archival buildings, or, in some cases, travel to other locations in search
of information.
Work schedules depend on deadlines and the time of year. Some historians
can count on a typical 40-hour workweek. But history professors can work much
more than that during the teaching term. Historian Andrew Gow works 12 hours
a day, six days a week during the teaching term. He says this is typical of
history professors.
"I didn't become a professor to have a lot of spare time," he says with
a chuckle.
Gow's work schedule varies widely during the year. Breaking down his schedule
over the course of the year, he says he spends 20 percent of his time on administrative
tasks, 40 percent on teaching, and 40 percent on scholarships and research.
From May to August, Gow does almost no administrative work and no teaching.
This is when he focuses on research.
"Generally, it's the sort of a job you need to do on your own, so you should
be an independent worker, a self-starter," says historian Elizabeth Dale.
"You need to like looking into research.
"If you don't like to read things and solve problems, then this is not
the career for you," she adds. "No one tells me what to write about -- I have
to go do it myself."