Historian’s Vocations: A Course to Answer “What Will You Do with a History Major?”

This presentation focuses on Historian’s Vocations, a courses developed at Hope College that is designed to help history majors explore diverse career pathways, prepare for the job market, and articulate the value of historical training beyond the academy. This presentation outlines the structure and goals of the course, analyzes its role within the history major, and reflects on the benefits and limitations of embedding explicit career development into the curriculum. The talk aims to prompt discussion about whether—and how—discipline-specific career courses can effectively equip history students to translate their skills into a wide range of professional contexts.