Your degree determines your salary: Choose wisely

Not just this, but your GCSEs and A-Levels too.

I was actually turned down from a graduate job because my GCSEs were not all straight A, despite my A-Levels being so.

Although this might seem a bit ridiculous from a graduate point of view, the market has become so saturated with graduates. So much so that these companies can be VERY selective, for no other reason than to get the number of people's CVs they have to look at down to a manageable amount.

Additionally, just because you did a History degree, doesn't mean you have to do something USING that degree. University is an academic and educational pursuit, it isn't an apprenticeship.