Jobs in Art History Degree

[Anonymous]

My daughter changed her major without telling us, she changed her major back 2 years ago. We never emailed the dean or anyone at the school because she was getting good grades and everything was going well. Now she is telling us in May she will be graduating in a degree in Art History, and she learned on Google that she might be able to get a job working as a Subway... What jobs can someone with a Art History BS get?

[Anonymous]

McDonalds is good, too.

But more seriously: it's a liberal arts degree with an extremely narrow emphasis. Can't do that much with it directly (outside of museum work or valuation), so it's either grad school or doing something that will take any grad from the liberal arts (teaching), or something orthogonal (machinist, receptionist, medical assistant, manager at Waffle House).

Does she have marketable minors?

The one guy I know with a degree in Art History -- brilliant guy, super hard-working, came from a poor background -- has tenure at a 3rd tier institution and a pretty happy life. But he's functionally a lottery winner.

[Anonymous]

Is she at an Ivy/SLAC where the prestige of the degree can carry her as a Liberal Arts generalist?

Does she write well?

Does she know how to operate websites and social media?

I would try advertising and communications specialties if she has good skills in these areas. Possibly work with a gallerist if she can live in a city that offers some of those jobs.

If you search "Art History" on this site, you will find threads where people argue over whether kids should get these degrees. In these threads, people who are pro-Art History give examples of possible jobs.

Is there any chance she could take additional education and become a secondary school history teacher?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter changed her major without telling us, she changed her major back 2 years ago. We never emailed the dean or anyone at the school because she was getting good grades and everything was going well. Now she is telling us in May she will be graduating in a degree in Art History, and she learned on Google that she might be able to get a job working as a Subway... What jobs can someone with a Art History BS get?

Totally depends on the school

Yale Art History could probably get a job at Subway

Or at Sotheby's

Completely depends on the connections.

[Anonymous]

Big 3 consultant but you have network.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter changed her major without telling us, she changed her major back 2 years ago. We never emailed the dean or anyone at the school because she was getting good grades and everything was going well. Now she is telling us in May she will be graduating in a degree in Art History, and she learned on Google that she might be able to get a job working as a Subway... What jobs can someone with a Art History BS get?

She should try to work for one of the photo, illustration or animation AI companies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter changed her major without telling us, she changed her major back 2 years ago. We never emailed the dean or anyone at the school because she was getting good grades and everything was going well. Now she is telling us in May she will be graduating in a degree in Art History, and she learned on Google that she might be able to get a job working as a Subway... What jobs can someone with a Art History BS get?

She should try to work for one of the photo, illustration or animation AI companies.

They don't need her

[Anonymous]

Friend of the family got an Art History degree and works for an insurance company providing valuations for high end artwork.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Friend of the family got an Art History degree and works for an insurance company providing valuations for high end artwork.

I was an econ major that worked in commercial insurance and tried to break into this line of work almost twenties years ago

It’s fascinating

The entry and mid level roles pay like crap but if you stick with it, it’s glamorous at the top

[Anonymous]

I was an art history major, ended up working for bond traders. Because I could write, I became an analyst for a pe firm. I had friends who went to law school. What your undergraduate degree is in matters less than you'd think.

[Anonymous]

OP, what does your daughter want to do? She made this choice to change her major so it’s now time for her to figure it out. Do not bail her out or offer to pay for a $$ graduate school.

[Anonymous]

She could also look for entry-level positions at museums, artist foundations, auction houses, and publishing companies that specialize in art books. As well as the art departments of universities and colleges, which may need some support staff (not so glamorous a job, but a job).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was an art history major, ended up working for bond traders. Because I could write, I became an analyst for a pe firm. I had friends who went to law school. What your undergraduate degree is in matters less than you'd think.

Whst school and how did it happen to

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter changed her major without telling us, she changed her major back 2 years ago. We never emailed the dean or anyone at the school because she was getting good grades and everything was going well. Now she is telling us in May she will be graduating in a degree in Art History, and she learned on Google that she might be able to get a job working as a Subway... What jobs can someone with an Art History BS get?

Totally depends on the school

Yale Art History could probably get a job at Subway

Or at Sotheby's

Completely depends on the connections.

The one Yale and one Princeton art history majors we hired at our firm, a hedge fund in NYC, make 320k plus bonus straight out of undergrad.

So I disagree with your statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She could also look for entry-level positions at museums, artist foundations, auction houses, and publishing companies that specialize in art books. As well as the art departments of universities and colleges, which may need some support staff (not so glamorous a job, but a job).

Connections totally matter for an Art History major. In the one case I know about, she had a string of stellar summer internships (Met, Freer, Smithsonian) during college, and then was able to get a (low-paid) job in the art history field in NYC. Job was totally through back door conectios established during those internships.

One with any major could get lucky with a job in a different field, but luck and connections will matter a huge amount if trying that.