This game changed my life
- Thread starter Lpmc723
- Start date
It's fascinating that a game which has nothing to do with history at all can have such a big effect on one's interest for past. But if it works, why not? I guess unlearning everything the game teaches you by studying what history is really about can be educational too.
Moderator Action: Please don't troll around.
Moderator Action: Please don't troll around.
Civking5
Prince
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2012
- Messages
- 393
Using every opportunity to bash the game you hate. eh? With posts like this you are just embarrassing yourself.
Moderator Action: Please don't troll back.
compwiz1202
King
Awesome! A lot better that the junk where people blame a suicide on someone being backstabbed in Civilization or such for other video games.
jjkrause84
King
That's a great story, OP....you're not alone! I became a historian largely because of the many hours I spent playing Civ 2 as a kid.
I was thinking of becoming a historian lol, but I didnt see many job choices with that degree. I could be wrong.
jjkrause84
King
Two points:
A) Historians are as employable as anything else if you're good. The academic job market is brutal right now, but is improving.
B) Don't choose a degree based on 'employment opportunities' unless you're going to be a scientist or an engineer. Outside of STEM all degrees are pretty much the same from an emlpoyment point of view. What really matters is breaking into an industry (interning or working the mail room, for example). Gettin a degree (be it a BA or a PhD) is the easy part....USING it is what students should be focussing on, in my experience.
shaglio
The Prince of Dorkness
In High School, I hated History with the white hot passion of a thousand suns. But during the summer vacation after I graduated, my cousin introduced me to Civilization I. In the 2 decades-plus and 5 versions since I graduated, I have developed a deep love of the history of ancient civilizations and cultures as well as Archaeology and Anthropolgy. Although I havent pursued it on a professional level, I do find myself, during slow times at work, looking up such things on Wikipedia (shhh, dont tell my boss).
This is correct, and a very underrated point! It depends a bit on which country you live in of course. But when you study history, you don't only learn about history (in fact that is sort of just a side effect). You also and mainly learn to work academically, to be structured in your way of thinking and approaching problems, and to think critically and be reflective of different standpoints. This is true of the humanities in general, but at least in Germany where I am from, history is commonly viewed as the humanity which is the most demanding regarding academic skills.
Having obtained these skills, wide fields of employment are open to you, which don't necessarily have to have anything to do with history at all. A friend of mine who studied history with me works for Airbus now, in their archives, which he finds extremely interesting (and it's very well paid!). Another has become a fund raiser, yet another is a journalist, while I have become a teacher; my job having the closest connection to history of the four, yet not exactly prototypical of a "historian's" job. A few of my former fellow students have got more classical historian's jobs, i.e. pursuing a uni career or doing historical research in other institutions, but they are definitely more the exception than the rule.
So I have to agree vividly with jj that you shouldn't choose your degree based on the assumption of employment opportunities, but instead on what you want to do, and on what you can bring up enough interest for to obtain a certain amount of quality and passion. The rest will follow suit.
jjkrause84
King
That's the main point. Study something that inspires you. Chances are you'll do MUCH better as a result, which will open more options to you (from grad school, to choice internships, etc.).
