Daniel Cruden

The broad scope of History led Daniel into working for the Treasury and then postgraduate study in public policy.

When I started studying, I pretty much decided to study the subjects that I thought would interest me. This led me to major in History and Political Science. When I decided to stay on for Honours, I chose History because it’s such a wide-ranging subject. It covers everything and explains so much about today’s world. Studying a BA encourages you to take a really broad perspective, and you get to look at a range of issues from all sorts of different angles.

The skills you learn in most Arts subjects, such as History, are important to all sorts of employment situations. The ability to undertake research, think critically, and write clearly are sought after by a range of employers. The Treasury, for instance, makes a deliberate effort to hire graduates from a diverse range of backgrounds including the Arts.

My History thesis taught me how to undertake an extensive research project and keep a clear argument. You also learn quite a lot about managing yourself—at Honours and Master’s levels it’s a good idea to treat your studies as a proper job—working regular hours, and giving yourself time off. Those kinds of self-management skills give you a real advantage once you’re working because you know more about how you like to work and what makes you most productive. It’s often said that Arts graduates lack a clear pathway for a future career, but that can be an advantage as you have the chance to use your degree for a range of different purposes.

After completing my Master’s, I spent some time doing administrative support at the Ministry of Justice before getting a permanent job at the Treasury. The thing I really liked about working there was that there were so many issues that you get exposed to, from social inclusion, to state sector management, to our macroeconomic frameworks.

After a few years at the Treasury, I decided to go back to do another Master’s, this one in Public Policy at McGill University in Canada. I felt that the time was right to take a year out from my career and strengthen my skill set in a manner focused on the policy profession, alongside the broader critical thinking and communication skills I gained at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

My advice to students thinking about what to major in would be to keep your options open early on, and try what you think you’ll be interested in. It’s cool to have a plan from day one, but that isn’t how everyone works.