20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You’ll split time between reading primary sources, cataloging items, and writing short reports. Mornings might be in the archive photographing documents or entering metadata into Microsoft Access or Excel.
Afternoons can be spent writing exhibit labels, advising curators on authenticity, or meeting with a team using Microsoft SharePoint and PowerPoint to plan public programs. You’ll also schedule time to read new scholarship and prepare conference talks.
For documents and PDFs you use Adobe Acrobat for high-quality scans and text extraction. For data and simple databases you use Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access to track collections or people.
For presentations and team collaboration you use Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft SharePoint. If you do quantitative analysis you might use IBM SPSS Statistics. Microsoft Office ties the basic tasks together.
Use AI for summarizing long texts, generating search terms, or drafting outreach copy, but verify everything against the original sources. AI can hallucinate dates, names, or sources—always crosscheck with the primary document or a trusted catalog.
Keep a clear record: note the AI prompt, the AI output, and the primary source you used to confirm facts. Never let AI replace source criticism or archival verification.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 3,450 historians were employed and the median annual wage was $76,750. The lowest tenth earned $42,730 and the highest tenth earned $131,810.
Salaries vary by employer type: universities, museums, government agencies, or private consulting will pay differently. Use the BLS figures as a broad benchmark.
Take history and writing classes, learn basic archival skills (paleography or handling documents), and get comfortable with Excel and Word. Volunteer at a local archive or historical society to practice cataloging and source criticism.
If possible, do a bachelor’s in history or a related field; many research jobs expect a master’s or PhD for advanced research and university posts. Start publishing short pieces or presenting at student conferences.
A historian focuses on researching and interpreting past events and writing narratives or analysis. Tasks include source criticism, tracing developments, and constructing historical arguments.
An archivist organizes and preserves collections—using systems like Microsoft Access and Excel for catalogs—and a curator manages exhibits and public programs. Jobs overlap: historians advise on authenticity and curators use historians’ research.
Clear source criticism: the habit of checking who created a document, when, why, and how reliable it is. That skill guides every task from research to writing biographies and advising on authenticity.
Pair that with basic Excel and Adobe Acrobat skills so you can manage data and scanned documents immediately.