Starting History Career, Help? Army/Air National Guard?

[ViperChief]

Hello All,

 

For those of you who do not know me, I am Nick Cammaroto (formerly “Ngrovcam” here. I’m an Air National Guardsman (always been a full timer), and am currently pursuing my Masters in Military History with a focus in American Military History at AMU.
 

I am a former Air Force F-16 & F-15 Crew Chief, now on recruiting duty with the Georgia Air National Guard here in Savannah, GA. I’ve served in the DC ANG & FL ANG prior to this and am looking to connect with any of the ANG or other services’ History Offices/Units. I’m in the process of exploring the possibility of entering a full time career in my passion of military history and was wondering if anyone here may be willing to discuss pathways or be a mentor to me? 
 

I’m an avid living historian with impressions of The Revolution, Civil War, WWI, & WWII. Additionally, I’m a member of the Company of Military Historians, SAR, SCV, and am a new volunteer at the National Museum of The Mighty Eighth here in Savannah.   I’ve been collecting since I was about 5 years old, focusing on CW (MD, VA, & NC Confederate), WWII 65th Inf Div & USAAF. I also always keep in an eye open for a number of USN ships, 38th USVI in SpanAm, 6th US Inf on the Mexican Border, & 77th Div WWI (305th, Co A)  

Looking forward to connecting! 
 

Nick C. 

[Major Z]

Look up artur95 on this forum. He's pursuing a career in museum curation and wartime history. He can tell you about his academic pathway.

[Kurt Barickman]

Yes either that or higher education with the graduate degree you  are pursuing.

 

Kurt

[Brig]

I've been told by countless history majors that either you get a job as a professor, a curator of an esteemed museum, or prepare to barely make a living in the field.

 

Also, research the historical community's thoughts on AMU...I've heard mixed opinions on degrees obtained from them. I, too, looked into pursuing a history degree with them...but some of the feedback I got from the historical community have made me reconsider, or maybe pursue it as a minor instead of a major

[Ed Rooney]

I've been told by countless history majors that either you get a job as a professor, a curator of an esteemed museum, or prepare to barely make a living in the field.
 
Also, research the historical community's thoughts on AMU...I've heard mixed opinions on degrees obtained from them. I, too, looked into pursuing a history degree with them...but some of the feedback I got from the historical community have made me reconsider, or maybe pursue it as a minor instead of a major

I would, as a rule of thumb, avoid for-profit universities. There are plenty of other options out there.

[439th Signal Battalion]

10 hours ago, Brig said:

I've been told by countless history majors that either you get a job as a professor, a curator of an esteemed museum, or prepare to barely make a living in the field.

 

Also, research the historical community's thoughts on AMU...I've heard mixed opinions on degrees obtained from them. I, too, looked into pursuing a history degree with them...but some of the feedback I got from the historical community have made me reconsider, or maybe pursue it as a minor instead of a major

Have a backup plan as well. 

 

I understand that museums all across the nation have either closed or are in danger of closing and may never reopen (or receive funding) because of Covid restrictions.  Also, as a historian, you do have to take into account the "cancel culture" and its ongoing effects in our society and history.  As a teacher with 24 years in the classroom, our curriculum and standard course of study the the state of NC is starting to change for the worse and will have a major impact in the future if not stopped...

[Brig]

I don't know about other branches, but the Marine Corps actually hires historians...one of the requirements is a masters in history...however we much prefer to hire former Marines, since they are researching our history.

 

Your branch might have similar, but it might also only be a uniformed billet. We have both...uniformed and civilian, but we're known for being much more history-oriented than other branches

[ScottG]

      I have a masters in military history from AMU/APUS. I can tell you that it is on par with other schools out there. I did face to face traditional community college, I did a BSW at a face to face university and I did the online program at AMU for the masters in military history as well as some museum courses. At the time I was able to select a capstone paper which is pretty traditional for a masters program, or a proctored final exam. I chose the exam which was a huge mistake. I arrived at 8:00am to the exam site and was given a work station at a computer. I had to answer 4 questions THOROUGHLY. I was given an hour for lunch. I left sometime after 6:00pm with no lunch taken. Yes I passed, but even with that amount of time and typing almost non stop, I missed some things. So, I can't speak to the year 2021, but anyone who thinks it was a walk in the park is wrong. I had top instructors in their fields and some of the curriculum was tough, particularly my research methods class. That instructor was a bear!

      I run a museum and have turned down many jobs with institutions of prestige as I am not interested in a job for "money". As most have stated, teaching, museums, etc... are the go to career paths, but there are also opportunities for field work, writing, and even civic work. I say go for it if its what you love. I go to the museum each week and meet neat people, I drove 7 hours a few months ago and loaded up nearly 145 weapons that were donated, I helped restore a 1917 Model T ambulance, I have shared the stage with bands like Sabaton, and I never feel like I have worked a day. You can't beat it! The best part is both of my Sons are finishing degrees in related fields and I am able to do this with them. Even my Daughter and Wife help out. Best of luck!    Scott

You can find my museum at mimhm.org  or Michigan Military Heritage Museum on Facebook.

 

[Bluehawk]

On 1/27/2021 at 5:38 PM, Brig said:

I've been told by countless history majors that either you get a job as a professor, a curator of an esteemed museum, or prepare to barely make a living in the field.

 

Also, research the historical community's thoughts on AMU...I've heard mixed opinions on degrees obtained from them. I, too, looked into pursuing a history degree with them...but some of the feedback I got from the historical community have made me reconsider, or maybe pursue it as a minor instead of a major

Concur... fully. 

I loved work in museums, 1975-2006 - but things have changed too much. 

The professions involved have shifted almost entirely to superfluous political focus... really unpleasant unless you are a believer. History has to be taught and practiced as "the correct kind" of history, or you could be out of a job overnight. 

https://criticalrace.org 

[kaliman0352]

Slum it like some of us and start an Instagram history page haha. 

[pathfinder11]

Happy to share insights as someone who worked as a DOD historian and is now at the Smithsonian as a military history curator, although I got my start as a boy with a father who collected militaria. Feel free to PM and we can connect via email.