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Ryan
Student
Amherst, Massachusetts
1
Question
Updated
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What does a career as a folklorist look like?
I'm really interested in the field, but it looks like the majority of jobs are academic, and I'm not sure if I'm interested in those. Are there other jobs, or any jobs that lean heavily on folklore but aren't necessarily designated as folklore-based?
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1 answer
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
656
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Ryan,
Folklorism, and related fields in ethnography and anthropology are fascinating. Topics extend across the disciplines of history, art, religion, philosophy, literature, archeology etc. As such, you have a lot of freedom to follow your interests and make it what you want it to be.
You would, like you said, find employment typically in academia and in museums. If that's not something you are interested in, you'll might have to make up your own job. Photography would go well with it too.
You could write books or make documentaries. You could write childrens' books or develop games on the basis of old stories and myths. You could work as a journalist. You could be an event manager for folkloristic festivals or start your own festival. You could be a tour guide. I am sure you can come up with many more options depending on where you want to focus your career.
Like many majors that are not in a STEM field, folklorism does not lead into a pre-determined career but gives you the opportunity to find your own niche.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://www.edmates.com/career-guide/folklorist
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/mythology-degree
Folklorism, and related fields in ethnography and anthropology are fascinating. Topics extend across the disciplines of history, art, religion, philosophy, literature, archeology etc. As such, you have a lot of freedom to follow your interests and make it what you want it to be.
You would, like you said, find employment typically in academia and in museums. If that's not something you are interested in, you'll might have to make up your own job. Photography would go well with it too.
You could write books or make documentaries. You could write childrens' books or develop games on the basis of old stories and myths. You could work as a journalist. You could be an event manager for folkloristic festivals or start your own festival. You could be a tour guide. I am sure you can come up with many more options depending on where you want to focus your career.
Like many majors that are not in a STEM field, folklorism does not lead into a pre-determined career but gives you the opportunity to find your own niche.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
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