Work for a financial analysis company.
I recently received a press-release from Sageworks, a financial analysis corporation in Raleigh, North Carolina. Here is the mission of Sageworks:
We want to help people make better financial decisions by giving them information they can understand and use.
We are committed to helping the world realize the benefits of Information Technology. Implicit in the effort to bring products and services to the market today is the idea that an increase in the availability of information is equal to an improvement in how people use that information – an improvement in decision-making. Yet, despite having more information, individuals and organizations are still challenged with how to make better and more profitable decisions. Our company provides unique information and technologies that help people understand information and use it to improve their financial lives.
Recently, the CEO of Sageworks, Brian Hamilton, extolled the benefits of an education in the field of history. Hamilton writes:
Any good and well rounded liberal arts education is a strong foundation for business. Ultimately, you have to be able to write, speak, and think. Still, for me, history is singularly the best discipline for success in business. In history, you learn and become immersed in why people and groups do things over an extended period of time. History validates that people and organizations act in clear, recognizable patterns. You also learn about human nature. Behavior becomes very predictable, which is vital to understand in business because you have to be able to anticipate how people will behave; you have to stay ahead of actions.”
It appears that more and more people in the corporate and business world are seeing the values of a liberal arts education, and especially and education in the field of history.
If you are in the business world or any other field, and see the virtues of a history degree or have hired history majors, I would love to talk with you.
To read the rest of the “So What Can You Do With a History Major” series click here.
This is good stuff. As a faculty member tasked with helping our history majors think about possible careers, I am hoping to do a lot of cribbing from your entire “So What Can You Do…” series.
I have to say, though, I am not sure that the lessons I've learned from history are that people and organizations act in “clear, recognizable patterns” or are “predictable.”
Still, I am glad for this recognition of the skills of a history major. Thanks for posting it. Keep up the good work John!