My future...

[LarryC]

Thanks a lot for all the comments.... really helps! I'll keep you posted!

[DougB]

Do what you love to do. If it pays the bills then great. With the lowest tuition in North America you can always go back to school.

[Frundsberg]

Well, I studied history for 1 year. It was the best year of my life. But in the next year I made new exams and started to study law. It was on of the best decisions in my life.

[drmessimer]

Larry: You have posed an excellent question and one which many young people should be asking. I was a history major throughout my college experience, which spanned many years, and I have been able to enjoy the best of two worlds--a good paying, interesting job, and the opportunity to capitalize on my history education. It became obvious to me after I graduated with a BA degree in history that short of teaching high school, there were few real employment opportunities. In 1966 I joined the San Jose Police Department as a patrolman and over the years advanced to detective, field supervisor, and administrator. Many of the lessons I learned as a history major applied to my police career. As a history major I learned to investigate thoroughly, use critical thinking when weighing evidence, and write an unbiased, factual report based on physical evidence. During the years that I worked as a policeman, I continued my studies and in 1988 I finally earned a PhD in Modern European History. I retired from the police department and took a position as a part time lecturer in history at San Jose state University. In the meantime, beginning in 1981, I began writing and publishing books on my passion, military history, through the Naval Institute Press. In all I have written ten books, contributed to three anthologies, and written dozens of magazine articles on military history subjects. I have been a manuscript reader for the Naval Institute Press, have written forwards for several books, and been a guest speaker at several historical gatherings. So, yes, you can pursue your passion, but you need a job to support it. Good luck. Dwight