When Rene Tiongquico Jr. tells people he is a history student they often smile politely and then ask him if he plans to go into teaching.
They ask, “”˜What are you going to do, read all day?'” said Tiongquico, a third-year history student and publicity chair for Phi Alpha Theta.
To combat such perceptions, the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society hosted a career workshop for history students highlighting the various professional options available with their degree beyond what they might have thought possible.
“Your major isn’t necessarily going to relegate you to what other people think it will,” said Tiongquico.
The three speakers were UCLA alumni with history degrees, and all of them ended up involved in different parts of the business world.
Moderating the event was John Sussman, who began by recognizing the true strengths of those history students present.
You may not have much technical knowledge, he said, but “you may very well supervise those who do.”
The speakers emphasized this point throughout the event, adding that even though history students may feel like they don’t have many practical skills and must begin their careers in low-paying jobs, they have just as many opportunities for success as any other student, if not more.
Dean Rydquist, one of the speakers who works in finance, said his friends who were engineering students may have started out in higher-paying positions, but his history training has enabled him to rise professionally and he now makes more than they do.
One of the speakers, real estate developer Clare de Briere, said she believes the university’s approach to teaching history is valuable on a number of levels, particularly the ability to glean important information from dense documents.
This technique that history students develop is ultimately their most important skill, said Rydquist.
“What does matter is being able to synthesize the information,” he said. “Unlike some other majors, history naturally teaches you how to do that.”
For Daniel Ziv, an entrepreneur who spoke at the event, it was his interest in the rest of the world and his desire to connect with people that prompted him to choose a major in history.
It is this attitude that helps him in his business, he said.
“I felt that more (important) than having a business mind is knowing people,” he said. “It’s all about a personal connection, and you get that from history.”
Though Tiongquico, said he enjoyed the speakers he added that he hopes there will be more speakers from an academic perspective in the future, since that is what he is most interested in.
After listening to the speakers discuss the skills their history degree has given them, third-year history student Sarah Ellison said she has a better sense of how to market herself to potential employers.
“I think it will help me know what they’re looking for in interviews,” she said.