New Series! People in the History Field

Ryan at the beginning of his Public History
career as a Park intern at Harpers Ferry NHP

One of the things that happens in a small community like the Public History field is the networking that inevitably results from working in it. Even as a volunteer, the people who are actually working in the places one volunteers at are links in a chain that go in all sorts of directions. Your career (such as it is) will continue to redirect and change. Those other people you formerly worked with will do the same. Sooner or later the people you knew several jobs ago are doing something different, yet are still following their passion. Maybe they went into museums, or into state parks, or private organizations, or non-profits. Sometimes they make up their own thing, or become part of a national or international entity. Throughout my career, I have had the good fortune of amassing several contacts that have changed since I have known them and gone on different paths than I have. Very few people stay on the same stable trajectory, so I have decided that I should reach out to these individuals and ask if they would be willing to share what they have learned and share a bit of what they do to give a 'real world' description of what it takes to be in that position and what to do to prepare for it. It is important to get a

Ryan in current position. Still working at making it permanent,
but making it work for now.

realistic view of what this field looks like because some college or university professors and career advisers make it seems like getting into the Public History world is easy-peasy and in many cases it is not! Also, it is difficult staying in it since much of this work is low-paying and seasonal. This series will be more like a "So you want my job?" interview blog posts talking with other professionals in this larger field of Public History/Interpretation/Education. It is not to dissuade the interested person, but to give a real view of what it is like and what you can reasonably expect. I will post these as time goes on in addition to regular posts here as the interviews are finished and approved by my editorial staff, so stay tuned for some great posts from great individuals that I have had the privilege to know. It is my hope that the interested history student, or person looking to get into this field has the understanding of what their life might look like if they want to come and join us here.