A career in humanities can offer a wide range of rewarding jobs. The list of career options can include jobs in mass communication, international relations, academics, psychology, hospitality and marketing. Learning about various job options in humanities and salary details of different roles can help you make better career decisions. In this article, we will explore what are the different career options in humanities, look at some of the best and high-paying jobs and discuss how to start a career in humanities.Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate’s experience, academic background and location.
Career options in humanities
Career options in humanities can include some of the most interesting and coveted jobs in the market. The humanities job list consists of diverse roles like:
- editor
- multimedia specialist
- digital marketing strategist
- archivist
- analyst
- psychologist
- data linguist
- lawyer
- international relations specialist
- foreign language expert
- hospitality professional
- social worker
- historian
- art director
- graphics designer
- event manager
- civil servant
- copywriter
- travel agent
- teacher
- technical writer
- human resource specialist
- public relations manager
- archaeologist
Related: How To Become A Political Strategist (With Skills)
Benefits of choosing a career in humanities
Here are some benefits of choosing a career in humanities subjects:
- Cultivates creativity: With knowledge of areas like literary arts, performing arts and visual arts, you can become better at expressing your creativity through various art forms like poetry, drawing, painting, theatre and music.
- Helps understand foreign languages and cultures: Humanities subjects can offer scope to learn different languages that may lead to exploration of various cultures.
- Creates a sense of responsibility: The subject can help you foster civility, charity, values and traditions, as you study varied academic disciplines, ranging from civics to moral science.
- Increases political awareness: You can become more aware of the political environment of the world and understand concepts like democracy, human rights, equality and social justice.
- Strengthens communication: It may become easier for you to communicate with people belonging to varied communities, castes, faiths and classes.
- Fosters critical thinking: Different subjects of humanities can help you to understand human behaviour and think not just creatively but also logically.
Related:Why Personal Development Is Crucial (With Examples and Tips)
How to start your career in humanities
Here is how to start your career and succeed in humanities disciplines:
1. Take humanities after 10th class
Select humanities subjects after class 10th, or secondary examinations. This can introduce you to subjects like political science, history, psychology, sociology and philosophy. During the 11th and 12th standards, you can learn the fundamental concepts in each in different subjects and develop an understanding of which ones interest you more.
2. Choose a subject for a bachelor’s degree
After identifying the subject of your liking in school, choose a bachelor’s degree in that discipline. This allows you to have a central focus on that subject and attain comprehensive knowledge. An in-depth study can equip you with the necessary education required to prosper in your career.
3. Look for workshops, courses and online courses
This is optional but highly recommended. Particularly if you think there is a need to learn more about your preferred subject. Workshops can help you learn from industry leaders and their experiences. Certificate and online courses can further add to your knowledge and help you build contemporary skills.
4. Pursue a master’s degree
A master’s degree helps you build specialised knowledge of your chosen subject and increases your expertise and credibility. A master’s degree remains optional, but it is essential if you plan to pursue a PhD degree in the future. You can also choose to become a professor after completing your master’s degree.
5. Look for internships
One of the best ways to gain industry exposure is by interning with an organisation that aligns with your career path and goals. Internships can serve as professional learning experiences that you can also present during job interviews. They also prepare you for a full-time job and introduce you to the professional workplace.
Related:What Are Internships and How Do You Find One?
6. Apply for jobs
Once you have chosen the career path to follow and completed the relevant education courses, you can start applying for jobs in related fields. Before applying, create an impressive resume and start preparing for the job interviews. All good things take time to happen, so stay motivated and maintain a positive outlook, as it may take time to find the best job in the field.
Related:How To Make a Resume (With Examples)
Highest paying jobs in humanities
Some of the highest paying jobs in humanities are as follows:
1. Historian
Primary responsibilities: Historians carry out field research, assess historical records and furnish an evaluation of past events with critical insights. They study the past by decoding the evidence found in written records or physical artefacts among other historical materials. The work of a historian can enable modern society to learn about past societies, ideologies, regimes, traditions, cultures and technologies.
2. Art director
Primary responsibilities: Art directors manage campaigns that focus on creativity and are in charge of design, illustrations, publishing, coordination, management of a team, devising strategies and execution of campaigns. Art directors also collaborate with graphic designers and copywriters to work on marketing projects. The process of art direction also involves storyboarding and giving clear instructions to the team to achieve the goal of the campaign.
3. Technical writer
Primary responsibilities: Technical writers are responsible for writing instruction manuals, guides, help sections on websites. They turn technical information into content that is simple to read and understand. They also interact with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to list out clear instructions for operation guides for consumers, including the support staff within businesses.
Related: What Does A Technical Writer Do? (With Job Skills)
4. Content marketing manager
Primary responsibilities: Content marketing managers look after the planning, development and implementation of different content strategies in a company. Through this, their aim is to achieve business targets by increasing brand awareness through engagement with the target audience. They work across online mediums like apps, blogs, ebooks, social media platforms and other platforms.
5. Public relations manager
Primary responsibilities: A public relations manager is in charge of managing the communication initiatives of a business, specifically with media personnel. They oversee a team of public relations professionals and assign tasks to the team members. These tasks can include writing or editing press releases and organising press conferences for various activities, like brand announcements or the launch of a new product or service.
Related: How To Become A PR Manager: A Comprehensive Guide
6. Foreign language teacher
Primary responsibilities: Foreign language teachers help students learn a new language. They are required to be thorough with their academic lessons that include grammar, composition and pronunciation. Their roles can differ from institution to institution, but largely their responsibility is to ensure that by the end of the course, their students are able to fluently read and write in a new language.
7. Psychologist
Primary responsibilities: The job of a psychologist is to listen and assess the thoughts and emotions of their clients in order to provide support using therapies. Psychologists listen patiently to fully understand what is causing a patient’s mental, emotional or behavioural block. Psychologists evaluate the needs of their patients and on the basis of the diagnosis, they may use different therapies and treatments.
8. Travel agent
Primary responsibilities: Travel agents create travel plans for tourists and make other arrangements for them. They possess knowledge of famous tourist spots that can make the travel experience memorable. A travel agent is generally responsible for managing itineraries, accommodations and organising tours depending on the needs, duration of stay and budget of tourists.
9. Copywriter
Primary responsibilities: Copywriters work for marketing or advertising agencies and are tasked with writing captivating marketing and promotional materials. They write content for different company products and services to generate engagement and convey the voice of the brand. Additionally, copywriters edit and proofread copies for a range of media channels like print, digital, video or social media.
Related: What Are Copywriting Skills? (Practical Tips And Examples)
10. Hospitality manager
Primary responsibilities: Their role may include the smooth functioning of everyday operations of a restaurant or hotel, management and supervision of the staff and overseeing tasks like catering. Essentially, hospitality managers ensure the satisfaction of customers by providing great dining or staying experiences. They may also maintain budgets and formulate strategies that increase revenue.