[rmn002]

Hello,

I was wondering what the current job prospects are for new college graduates in Michigan. I know that the economy in Michigan is still in poor shape, but since I have been studying in universities outside the state for my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in History, I really do not have a good handle on what to expect out of a job search. I grew up in southwest Michigan (around Kalamazoo), and I am currently considering moving back home to look for work to pay down my student loans before possibly continuing on to a doctoral degree program.

I am well aware that job prospects will depend on where one lives, field of study, and previous work history. I am hoping to find something in the southwest Michigan area (Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and Grand Rapids preferably), however I am also conscious that my field of study and lack of significant work experience may be/will be detrimental to my search. That aside, I still would like to get an idea from others what the lay of the land is before jumping in when I return in late May.

Thank you very much.

[Coldjensens]

See if you can get a job now, before you move. What do you want to do? All I can think of for a history major is:

1. Write a book.

2. Teach

3. Go to law school or business school.

4. Work in the insurance industry (they just want any kind of degree).

5. Work for the Henry Ford/Greenfiled Villiage (low pay but awesome job).

What do you want to do?

[rmn002]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

See if you can get a job now, before you move. What do you want to do? All I can think of for a history major is:

1. Write a book.

2. Teach

3. Go to law school or business school.

4. Work in the insurance industry (they just want any kind of degree).

5. Work for the Henry Ford/Greenfiled Villiage (low pay but awesome job).

What do you want to do?

I have seriously considered going into the insurance industry, but I am not sure how long I would last. I considered law school when I was in my undergraduate years, but with the sheer expense involved just to attend makes it impossible for me - there is also a glut in the market for lawyers. I am not sure about business school either.

Teaching or working at Greenfield Village are appealing, but are not economically viable at this point in time - but probably in a couple years after I get rid of some of my debts. Writing a book (whether fiction or non-fiction) is a large undertaking. While it would be a good side project in addition to working a full-time job, it would be difficult to make a living with it for a while.

I really am looking for any sort of work in southwest Michigan where I could pull $20k or more in order to pay off my debts, as well as have a little savings.

[Sparrow_temp]

I'm not sure why you would get a Master's in History for work in the insurance industry. Your logical career path would be teaching. You already have a Master's though so that may hold you back more than help finding a job at the high school level. At the college level, I think you need a doctorate unless at a community college. If you're not teaching, your college credentials are pretty much worthless in my opinion.

Originally Posted by rmn002

I have seriously considered going into the insurance industry, but I am not sure how long I would last. I considered law school when I was in my undergraduate years, but with the sheer expense involved just to attend makes it impossible for me - there is also a glut in the market for lawyers. I am not sure about business school either.

Teaching or working at Greenfield Village are appealing, but are not economically viable at this point in time - but probably in a couple years after I get rid of some of my debts. Writing a book (whether fiction or non-fiction) is a large undertaking. While it would be a good side project in addition to working a full-time job, it would be difficult to make a living with it for a while.

I really am looking for any sort of work in southwest Michigan where I could pull $20k or more in order to pay off my debts, as well as have a little savings.

[rmn002]

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

I'm not sure why you would get a Master's in History for work in the insurance industry. Your logical career path would be teaching. You already have a Master's though so that may hold you back more than help finding a job at the high school level. At the college level, I think you need a doctorate unless at a community college. If you're not teaching, your college credentials are pretty much worthless in my opinion.

I know it is weird. When I went from undergraduate to graduate school I was certain that I wanted to get a doctoral degree and teach as a full-time professor at either a university or community college. After going through two years the prospect of at least another six looks excruciating, and the academic job market afterwards is not good. A survey conducted in 2009 of history Ph.D. graduates by the American Historical Association found that less than 30% found employment in higher education, and 32.4% were still looking at the time of graduation. Not all of the positions available to new graduates are full-time tenure-track, the reality is that most are part-time adjunct positions which last an academic year.

New History PhDs in 2009 Surged to Second-Highest Level in 32 Years

A Terrible Time for New Ph.D.s

I have looked into teaching at community colleges in the southwest Michigan region, but only a few are hiring and only for adjunct positions (on a single semester basis). The pay rates for these positions fall between $35-$45 per contact hour (actual in-class time), which comes out to be about $1,400-$1,800 per course per semester. It's not bad if one looks at it as being a three to four hour per week job, but it's nothing someone can pay the bills with - especially if the college contract is for one course for one semester.

I understand where you are coming from regarding teaching, and while there are other jobs that employ historians, we (the general public) only see history as being a teaching profession. I have considered primary and secondary education, which would require some further education to obtain my teaching credentials, but I still fell that I should get a salaried job to pay down my loan debt before pursuing teaching.

Edit: I would also add that even going through around 12 years of post-secondary education, tons of effort, teaching assistantships, and academic publications at the end of the day there is a good probability of not working in teaching - and it maybe only for a year or two at low pay.