Archivists

Are you a bit of a pack rat? Do you like to save anything that has historical or sentimental value? Well, put that personality trait to work and become an archivist. You could work at a museum, government institution, school, zoo or any number of organizations preserving records and artifacts.

If you are a collector at heart and love to find the value of something, then preserve it for generations to come, you are probably a good fit for this job.

With this job you could archive just about anything: documents, paintings, transcripts, coins, photographs, stamps, historical objects and books. And that’s just scratching the surface. Sometimes archivists specialize in a specific historical time period and determine what artifacts should be preserved from that era.

Sometimes archivists transfer records or works of art to electronic mediums so they can be preserved better and to protect the original. They also work directly with the items to make sure they are stored safely and in a way that their integrity will be preserved for generations to come.

Some other unique things archivists do include managing public outreach programs, guiding tours, teaching workshops and serving on boards of various organizations.

To do well in this job you will need a bachelor’s degree and possibly a graduate degree. Areas that you should study include history, library science or archival studies. If you plan to specialize in an area, you should study a related subject like computer science or medicine.

Although this field is expected to grow somewhat slowly, it is still growing and there are jobs to be had. The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics reports the average salary for archivists is about $45,000 a year with some making as much as $76,000.