Unconventional Paths to Packaging: History Majors

Packaging is Inherently Multi-Disciplinary

You don’t have to work in the industry to understand that packaging is a multi-disciplinary field blending material science, engineering, ergonomics and design, branding and marketing, sustainability, and much more. 

With an array of functions and evolving responsibilities, there are currently thousands of job postings in the packaging sector—with firms looking for unique professionals to guide packaging strategy and development.

Though there are nearly a dozen universities in the United States with packaging science and development undergraduate programs, many who end up working in the industry did not follow a conventional path or educational journey to the industry. 

Because of this, a saying has developed in the industry that goes something like . . .
“I didn’t choose a career in packaging, it chose me!” 

Take The Packaging School team as an example. Our core team has the following undergrad and graduate degrees:

• BA in English & Creative Writing

• BBA in Marketing Management + MS in Sustainability Management 

• BS in Chemistry + PhD in Food Science & Technology

• BFA in Communication Design

• BBA in Management Information Science + MBA

• BFA in Design & Visual Communications

• BS in Packaging Science + MS in Food, Nutrition and Culinary Services

• BS in Packaging Engineering + MS Packaging Science 

• BS in Communication & Media Studies + MBA

• BS in Packaging Science + MS Packaging Science + PhD in Rhetorics, Communication, & Information Design 

• BFA in Communication Design

As you can see, our core team alone spans a number of educational journeys. Each team member brings something unique to the table, allowing us to think outside the box to connect with packaging professionals across the globe. Our differences and unique traits have allowed us to become the leading provider of online packaging training in just 10 years’ time.

Not listed in the degrees above, but a profession with applicable skills suited to the packaging industry—history majors! 

The rest of this article will explore three reasons why history majors are a good fit for the packaging industry. 

History majors bring fresh approaches to research & development 

Core skills developed in virtually any undergraduate history program include research, critical analysis, and problem solving. These skills are highly transferable to research and development functions in the packaging industry—from new material research to shifting current materials for regulatory compliance and everything in between.

Once a history major gets up to speed with the technical side of the industry, either through online education or on-the-job training, they become a vital asset to a packaging R&D department. A history major can bring new research techniques, methods, and problem solving capabilities to a packaging department that would be overlooked by folks with other backgrounds.

For example: 

A history major in a packaging R&D department might take on the task of researching and analyzing past R&D methods at the company and uncover patterns, trends, and shortcomings when launching new materials or packaging innovations. Additionally, with research skills and frameworks in their tool kit, the history major could quickly understand and communicate the key takeaways of dense research papers and reports on new biomaterials, manufacturing and machinery innovations, etc. 

With experience turning dense historical documents into clear insights, history majors can quickly communicate findings to cross functional teams and support faster innovation processes. 

History majors have excellent attention to detail

Through analyzing primary and secondary documents and reading complex historical analyses full of dates and personas, history majors have advanced attention to detail and processing competencies. 

Attention to detail is everything in packaging, specifically for packaging design and labeling. Packaging professionals need to pay close attention to shifting laws and regulations (like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)), labeling requirements, and design standards. 

When attention to detail is lacking in packaging design, companies can face major hits to their brand equity.For instance, Mattel—makers of the Barbie Doll—made national news last November when they accidentally printed a pornographic website address on packaging for dolls created to promote the release of the Wicked movie. This led to Mattel pulling thousands of units off shelves and was certainly a hit to the brand’s equity.

For example:

A CPG brand flags a new ecomodulation program’s release in an EPR state where they are registered. There must be a review of the 120+ document as soon as possible to understand how to reduce EPR fees and avoid further penalties related to their packaging operations. A history major (with some technical training in packaging science) could read through the dense document and be able to synthesize its findings and communicate takeaways to cross functional teams quickly compared to other employees not trained in reading methods and analysis. 

Armed with advanced attention to detail skills, history majors in the packaging industry can help avoid packaging design and labeling catastrophes, serving as knowledge leaders when it comes to new regulations and technical topics affecting their organization’s packaging operations.

History majors understand historical market trends

No one is better equipped to understand and analyze the historical use of packaging materials, machinery, and trends than a history major. Due to their experience reading interdisciplinary historical analyses spanning time periods and industries, a history major in the packaging industry could find and help revive unique uses for packaging materials and processes.

As packaging designers and brands scramble to find more sustainable packaging solutions and develop novel materials, a history major could offer an alternative approach and look to the past to solve the packaging-related challenges of today and the future. A historical analysis of packaging materials and systems—from Ancient Egypt to Colonial America—could help a packaging team uncover how to revive packaging systems of the past to meet the goals of the present. 

For example:

A history major working at a CPG brand is tasked with proposing a new alternative packaging system for a cheese brand that is innovative, impressive to consumers, and helps meet the brand’s sustainability goals. While other folks on the team dig through new reports and research on novel materials and systems, the history major looks to the past and explores how cheese was packaged and distributed centuries ago. Combining both approaches, the history major and the rest of the team find a system that combines the past and future—a bio-based cotton wrap in a recycled wood box. 

Make History in the Packaging Industry

While history majors possess skills that are core components to a successful career in the packaging industry, you might be wondering why they would want to work in the packaging industry.

Here at The Packaging School, we view packaging as a foundational tool evolving throughout history with the shifting needs of societies and industries. History majors would find the study and application of packaging to be a fascinating study of humanity and our relationship to the world. We know this because we've had dozens of history majors enroll in our online programs and attend our annual Automotive Packaging Summit.

In other words, packaging can be viewed as a “historical arc,” responding to the needs of the time. Packaging methods are conditional to what is available and easily sourced in different societies throughout time. Global shifts of power and empires, trade tensions, and more have impacted the packaging formats we use today and in antiquity. 

Despite changes in society and industry, packaging has served as a constant. Protecting and preserving products, moving goods throughout supply chains, and eliciting brand loyalty in consumers.

If you’re a history major looking to take a leap of faith into a new space . . . come make history in the packaging industry.

Not sure where to start? Set up a 15-minute demo call with our Academic Director—Dr. Julie Rice Suggs—here.