![\"Photo:](\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/photo-0314-2022-baglioni-family-tree.jpg\")
<\/a>What Is a Genealogist?<\/strong><\/p>\n A genealogist is someone who specializes in ancestry. Specifically, they comb through official records, documents, and even DNA test results to map out an individual\u2019s family tree.<\/p>\n Genealogy is primarily done for personal interests, especially for people who don\u2019t know their heritage. However, there\u2019s also a medical reason for genealogy, as your family tree can highlight if you\u2019re prone to any hereditary illnesses.<\/p>\n Genealogists may be generalized in their practice, or they can specialize in a particular area. For instance, some may focus specifically on Chinese genealogies.<\/p>\n Genealogy Career: What Does a Genealogist Do?<\/strong><\/p>\n Research is at the heart of what a genealogist does. Their main source of demographic information is census data from the U.S. Census Bureau. To supplement this, they also comb through historical documents, government certificates (like marriage and death), and newspaper archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n They then use this data and interpret it. Sometimes, information is incomplete, so genealogists need problem-solving skills to try and fill in the gaps. Also, they routinely have to decipher old or hard-to-read handwriting, which is another critical task of genealogists.<\/p>\n Becoming a Genealogist: Excellent Skills to Have<\/strong><\/p>\n Figuring out how to become a successful genealogist starts with knowing the essential skills. And in the field, these can be classified into two types of skills: genealogical and business.<\/p>\n Genealogical skills are the core methods and knowledge you\u2019ll use. Mostly, it entails having excellent research skills and the patience to pore through hundreds of records, census data, and newspaper clippings to find the information you need.<\/p>\n It also helps if you have a genealogical specialty, such as focusing on religious records or working mostly with family histories. Genealogy is vast, so specializing can help you hone your skills.<\/p>\n But expertise in genealogy isn\u2019t enough, however. As a professional genealogist, remember that you\u2019re a business. That\u2019s why you also need business skills. The most important here is marketing: you need to know how to market yourself and find clients. In addition, it pays to know how to manage your books, manage your schedule, and even handle customer complaints.<\/p>\n Business skills might not be the most glamorous part of being a professional genealogist, but mastering them is critical to enable you to do it for as long as you want.<\/p>\n How to Become a Professional Genealogist<\/strong><\/p>\n There are no formal qualifications to become a genealogist, and there\u2019s no set path or course to get there, either. However, a few suggestions on how to become a professional genealogist are listed below.<\/p>\n The best first step is to apply for genealogy certification. Not only does it help you assess your skill level, it\u2019s also great proof to clients that you know what you\u2019re doing. You can certify yourself with the Board for Certification of Genealogists<\/a> (BCG) or the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists<\/a> (ICAPGen).<\/p>\n If you\u2019re also looking into \u201chow to become a professional genealogist online,\u201d you\u2019ll be glad to know that most of these accreditations can be completed through the internet.<\/p>\n To build and keep your skills up to date, you should also attend seminars and workshops regularly. The National Genealogical Society<\/a> offer some great options. You can also build skills through genealogical journals and case studies.<\/p>\n Networking with fellow genealogists is also a great way to become a professional genealogist. They can share their experiences and mistakes, so you\u2019ll have an easier time turning professional.<\/p>\n You can also build practical experience to enhance your skills. The easiest way is to volunteer with your local genealogical society and participate in real-world tasks. You can also visit courthouses, libraries, and the U.S. National Archives to familiarize yourself with archives, card catalogs, and other data stores.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you can also perform an indexing project to practice reading and interpreting records. And, of course, continue to work on your family\u2019s genealogy to refine your skills further.<\/p>\n Not a Professional Genealogist? Let GenealogyBank Guide Your Research<\/strong><\/p>\n As you can see, when it comes to how to become a genealogist, it takes dedication and a passion for the subject.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t want to become a professional genealogist and simply want to build your family tree, a better alternative is to use GenealogyBank<\/a>. We\u2019re a one-stop repository that contains articles from more than 13,000 newspapers<\/a>, 260+ million obituaries, and all U.S. census records<\/a>.<\/p>\n Visit us and explore your ancestry today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do you enjoy researching your family history, and are you thinking of doing it for others, too? Discover how to become a professional genealogist here!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":83435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12713],"tags":[1036,12],"class_list":["post-83423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-research-tips","tag-genealogists","tag-genealogy"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/photo-0314-2022-featured-graphic-narychkine-family-tree.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83423"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84087,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83423\/revisions\/84087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}