Why Major in History at Penn State?
Chances are you’ve been asked this question more than once, or maybe even asked it yourself. In today’s job-conscious environment, technical or vocational majors hold understandable attractions. The History major’s immediate career payoff is not as pronounced as, say, an accounting major’s. But there are many compelling reasons to choose the History major as a wonderful investment for the long haul, not just in career terms, but in terms of personal intellectual development and enrichment. History majors acquire skills critical in today’s workplace. History majors learn how to learn. Increasingly, the work world places a premium on this kind of flexibility; most people change jobs frequently, and jobs themselves transform rapidly, so that workers need to learn new skills all the time. History majors can have a long term edge in this type of environment, because they are taught how to conceptualize an issue; how to research it; how to weigh evidence; how to make conclusions; and how to
