<p>Being a history professor is all about publish or perish. The same applies, to a lesser extent of course, to grad students. I would encourage any history prof-in-the-making to hone those writing skills, to start getting in the habit of thinking about publishing, even if at the beginning it’s only for the college paper, the college publications, doing research for a professor who will be publishing, etc. The more you can have on your CV, the better odds of you getting into a top PhD program, the better the odds of getting grants, later landing a tenure-track job that ends with tenure. Publish, publish, publish should be the mantra. </p>
<p>And I agree that while it’s not the easiest road – if you truly love history, and can write, and understand the publish-or-perish mentality – you can make it as a future history professor.</p>