What You'll Do

  • Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
  • Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
  • Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.
  • Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
  • Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools.
  • Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.
  • Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies.
  • Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
  • Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
  • Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.

Essential Skills

Reading Comprehension 4.75/5
Writing 4.12/5
Critical Thinking 4.12/5
Active Listening 4.0/5
Speaking 4.0/5
Active Learning 4.0/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.38/5
Learning Strategies 3.25/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.12/5
Instructing 3.12/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.12/5
Monitoring 3.0/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Artist: Creating original work and expressing ideas feels natural.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Cooperation, Analytical Thinking, Dependability, Integrity

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Written Comprehension 4.88/5
Written Expression 4.25/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Near Vision 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 3.88/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.75/5
Speech Clarity 3.75/5

Technologies & Tools

Adobe Acrobat Adobe Dreamweaver Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Archival databases ArchiveGrid Archives Wiki Audio editing software Corel WordPerfect Office Suite Database management systems Digital image collections Digital mapping software Email software ESRI ArcGIS software Extensible markup language XML Geographic information system GIS software Geographic information system GIS systems Google Books NGram Viewer Gutenberg-e IBM SPSS Statistics

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.55/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 4.41/5)
  • Analytical Thinking (High importance: 4.15/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.13/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.12/5)

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How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Architectural Historian Collections Specialist County Historian Dance Historian Dramatic Arts Historian Field Court Researcher Film Historian Genealogist Genealogist Researcher Health Historian Historian Historian Developer Historic Architectural Resources Curator Historic Interpreter Historic Preservation Coordinator Historic Preservationist Historic Sites Registrar Historical Interpreter Historiographer Medical Historian Medication Historian Music Historian Oral Historian Process Information Historian (PI Historian) Protohistorian Research Associate Research Historian Researcher