 I am a Public History MA student at the University of Western Ontario. I finished my undergrad in 2008 at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. As an undergrad I concentrated in Modern Military History. A lot of people come up to me and say, "Braden, I can see that you've been pretty successful in pretty much everything you've ever done, you're a great student and have a wonderful head of hair, but I gotta know, what the heck is public history?" It is simple. Public historians work away at a variety of jobs designed to tell the stories of the people and places of the past. We take history, polish it up, and present it to the masses for their education and enjoyment. This 'polishing' can take the form of museum work, archiving, working with digital resources, and a whole host of other occupations. If the world is a high school, we're the fresh face history teachers that jump on desks while waving le drapeau Tricolore and yelling, "To the Bastille! To the Bastille!" So, I would like to be involved in the history field in my career. I see myself working in a military museum, be it in collections, curating, or education. Canadians don't really throw a ton of money in the direction of military museums (or any museums, really) so, if needs be, I am planning on outsourcing to either the United States or the UK in search of gainful employment. That being said, what will likely happen is that I'll get a job in Ontario with the idea of it being a stepping stone, only to retire from the same job 32 years later, all the while wondering where my youthful gusto went. |