I cannot understate the importance of learning digital humanities
methods at an early level in our education. I hope that I’ve been able to get
across the necessity of digital skills needed in the world for many of our
future careers. Today’s world will only continue to bring in new technologies
in order to facilitate certain methods as well as providing opportunities for
new ways of scholarship. Furthermore, as much of the software that is currently
being developed is open source, there is a massive increase in availability of
free software for digital history projects. This not only means that employers
will begin using them, but it also allows for universities to learn them and
teach them to students. This is particularly important at an undergraduate
level because many students seek employment after graduation. Not everyone
chooses to seek out a graduate degree and by only teaching digital software to
graduate students does a disservice to undergrads.
As students, we should place a heavy importance into what we’re
being taught and how it will help us in the future. As history students, we
need to make sure we’re being taught the necessary tools so that we can thrive
in the workforce. These tools are becoming increasingly digital and the
universities tend to lag behind in terms of teaching this. UMBC itself recently
received a grant to teach digital humanities and we must ensure that we begin
to be taught its tools and methods as soon as possible.
This internship has allowed me to see the importance of the
digital aspects of academia. It also has made me passionate about ensuring that
these aspects are put into place for future generations. Having spent hours on
research, I have a much better understanding of what it entails, and I’m hoping
to be able to take that knowledge to improve the current academic situation.
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