It is both fascinating and disappointing to learn that many find the liberal arts History degree of study to be of no importance and have next to no value outside of a classroom setting.  It is sad because these ill informed individuals do not see the bigger picture as to why historian scholars and students take such an active interest in the field of the “what has been”: to be able to analyze an event and place it in a larger significant story of the past.  From this practice, historians are able to craft a thesis based on evidence of past historical events and explain the effect that this particular occurrence has on a separate but related happening.  Is this not how the human race lives from day to day?  Is it not in all of our natures to identify what sequence of events led to our current situations?  That is history: to be able to identify patterns of past decisions which in turn will influence future decisions.  Being a student of history (as we all are) equates to a lifetime of detailed analysis and evidence backed argument, anything less than that is no more than a fallacy.

The value of learning the historical method of research and appreciation is unfortunately not recognized by many in the workforce as it is not a “technical skill” or a STEM based field of study. Not that these fields are not important (they are in fact essential to a modern society), but they lack a major element that is present with that of a historian: detailed analysis and thesis creation from understanding a recorded human event.  At the same time however, these recorded events must be looked at from an unbiased perspective as accounts from multiple fields of view must be considered.  That is the value of seeing through the eyes of a historian, having the ability to not only interpret and understand a historical claim, but to be able to challenge that claim.