Choosing a Minor

[anachronistic]

My majors are Painting and German. Don't exactly go together, but I do not intend to formulate a career on both of them. My 'career' will probably have to do with my German degree, which I may eventually pursue a PhD in.

Studying what I love.

The thing is, I can't decide on a minor. Do I have to have a minor for both majors? What goes good with a German degree (Bachelor of Arts)?

I've thought about minoring in philosophy, creative writing, or printmaking. I am not sure what to do.

[misombra]

i don't think you need a minor if you're majoring in two things.

[vashti]

Why don't you minor in the things you are majoring in right now, and pursue a degree that might make you more employable later on? It sucks to graduate with your degrees only to find you aren't qualified to work.

(Unless perhaps you thought you might be a teacher, in which case you will need a Master's degree, and I should think your minor wouldn't matter much unless perhaps it was geared towards teaching.)

[anachronistic]

Why don't you minor in the things you are majoring in right now, and pursue a degree that might make you more employable later on? It sucks to graduate with your degrees only to find you aren't qualified to work.

(Unless perhaps you thought you might be a teacher, in which case you will need a Master's degree, and I should think your minor wouldn't matter much unless perhaps it was geared towards teaching.)

I am content with my majors. I love art, and I love German, and therefore, I am not going to change my majors. Besides, if I couldn't have studied those, I would not be at a university right now; I would join the army, or get a full time job. I am not interested in studying medicine, or dentistry, or business economics, or biology. I am interested in art, writing, linguistics, and philosophy. I get all that in German and my Fine Arts majors.

My majors have been decided a long time ago. My philosophy on education is to study what you love. Who gives a **** about loads of money, when living for the moment is priceless. Then again, I guess if someone came to college, for the sake of future opportunities, i.e. "I WANNA B A DOKTOR!!!!!!1111," ended up realizing that it was for nothing, yeah, that would be a real shocker. But that's not my case.

Since I am more focused on a career in German, what would be a good minor, if I have to choose? Maybe English? That would be horrible, unless it were creative writing.

[vashti]

Well, you say you want a career in German, so I assume this means you plan to use it for employment purposes. what do you plan to DO with your German degree? Knowing this might help to focus yourself.

If you are only taking these types of classes for pleasure and personal development, then it doesn't really matter what you minor in, or even IF you minor in anything at all. If you want to work, your choices are much more important. Have you considered teaching? This would allow you to continue to pursue degrees in areas you are interested in.

[lastwish]

My philosophy on education is to study what you love.

Good choice. The type of degree you get doesn't matter as much as people think anyway. It's the skills you get from university. People don't necessarily work in their program area. For example, a person with a philosophy major can work in business. Plus, a bachelor degree is just a stepping stone to a master or PHD or grad school (which is the real deal to a solid career). You can combine your germen major with anything you like. Its good to take a broad variation of different type of courses..it's good for the mind. I feel bad for the people who force themselves into a degree that they thought would lead them into a high paying job and then later realizing they hate their job or that they couldn't even sustain a high grade average. Perhaps you can book an appointment with your guidance or career counselor to figure out the career paths you can take with your degree.

[GrkScorp]

My majors are Painting and German. Don't exactly go together, but I do not intend to formulate a career on both of them. My 'career' will probably have to do with my German degree, which I may eventually pursue a PhD in.

Studying what I love.

The thing is, I can't decide on a minor. Do I have to have a minor for both majors? What goes good with a German degree (Bachelor of Arts)?

I've thought about minoring in philosophy, creative writing, or printmaking. I am not sure what to do.

That sounds like a good plan.., and more importantly.., if that's why you WANT to do.., you'll definitely get through it..

Each college & university is different.., if you are a double-major.., some schools will not require you to minor in anything.., if you are getting a B.S. instead of a B.A.., some schools will wave the minor requirement.., so.., the specific rules depend on you school.. if you don't NEED to do it.., minors are really just a personal choice.., i'll be honest with you.., I minored in Mathematics & Statistics.., and it has counted for NOTHING in my life thus far.., it's helped without a doubt.., but personally.., it's not something that gets you recognition.., it's really just for you.. so only do it if YOU want to do it and YOU feel it will help you and complement your area of study..

Example: Math & Stat. are nearly perfect complements to an Economics & Accounting major.., they definitely pack a punch and give a personal advantage in that line of work compared to those without such a minor..

Similarly.., I like your idea of minors you selected..

With a German major.., minors like Philosophy & English could be perfect complements.., You can study the original works of many German philosophers in their original language so that nothing gets lost in translation.., understand them more fully.., an English minor could allow you to brush up on Essay writing.., business writing.., expository writing.., and even creative writing if you'd like.. (I took a creative writing class back in college.., I know it sounds like a BS class.., but don't overlook it.., it will take the power of your writing to a whole new level)

Again.., it all depends on what YOU want to do.., where YOU would like to see yourself years from now.., after you get your Ph.D.., how what you choose to learn now.., will benefit you in the future.. you definitely don't want to burden yourself with a minor because you think it "sounds" good or "looks" good.., that's a mistake.., because nobody cares.., the only person you're doing it for is YOU.., so make sure it works with your long-run goals..

Best,

GrkScorp

[anachronistic]

Well, you say you want a career in German, so I assume this means you plan to use it for employment purposes. what do you plan to DO with your German degree? Knowing this might help to focus yourself.

If you are only taking these types of classes for pleasure and personal development, then it doesn't really matter what you minor in, or even IF you minor in anything at all. If you want to work, your choices are much more important. Have you considered teaching? This would allow you to continue to pursue degrees in areas you are interested in.

Honestly said, I don't plan to do anything in particular with my German degree, so long as my occupation takes me to a place where German is involved, and I am certified to work with it. I'll gladly be a Lehrer (teacher), an Übersetzer (translator), or even a Beirat für judische nachholocauste Überlebende (Counselor for Jewish post-holocaust survivors.) I'll write German articles and advertisements, and short stories in my freetime. I will work for a publishing company, translating novels. It is all the same to me, I will be happy nonetheless. A career is only a small part in my life. The rest is much more important!

The things that I plan to do with my education go far beyond the boundaries of occupation.

[vashti]

Honestly said, I don't plan to do anything in particular with my German degree, so long as my occupation takes me to a place where German is involved, and I am certified to work with it. I'll gladly be a Lehrer (teacher), an Übersetzer (translator), or even a Beirat für judische nachholocauste Überlebende (Counselor for Jewish post-holocaust survivors.) I'll write German articles and advertisements, and short stories in my freetime. I will work for a publishing company, translating novels. It is all the same to me, I will be happy nonetheless. A career is only a small part in my life. The rest is much more important!

The things that I plan to do with my education go far beyond the boundaries of occupation.

I think you have to be certified to be a translator, and you will definitely need a Master's to teach upper levels. There aren't many Holocaust survivors left, so I wouldn't count on that career wise. Maybe you should talk to your guidance counselor about educational requirements for the other two possibilities. Considering the number of people who speak German, there's probably more to it than simply speaking the language.

You are young - you can get where you want to go if you make a concrete plan and stick to it.

[bohemiandonut]

I LOVE minors I usually choose a brunette but one that's got her head on straight you know? I mean you could end up with a pretty costly lawsuit if you choose the wrong one and she's into that sort of enterprise. You'll want to just stake out a place where minors tend to congregate (schools, arcades, and swimming pools are good choices) and then you can choose from there.

Good luck!

[misombra]

I LOVE minors I usually choose a brunette but one that's got her head on straight you know? I mean you could end up with a pretty costly lawsuit if you choose the wrong one and she's into that sort of enterprise. You'll want to just stake out a place where minors tend to congregate (schools, arcades, and swimming pools are good choices) and then you can choose from there.

Good luck!

u so silly donut boy.

[Illusional]

what about beer drinking??

raverboy

[IndiReloaded]

LW, I think you should minor in finance or management or business communication.

No matter your career, you will need these skills. Even a PhD needs to manage ppl, or have some knowledge of finance to manage your grants. A successful artist needs to know how to manage the business part of their work. If you go the diplomat route, you'll need the management & communication skills.

Trust me on this one.

[IndiReloaded]

With a German major.., minors like Philosophy & English could be perfect complements.., You can study the original works of many German philosophers in their original language so that nothing gets lost in translation.., understand them more fully.., an English minor could allow you to brush up on Essay writing.., business writing.., expository writing.., and even creative writing if you'd like.. (I took a creative writing class back in college.., I know it sounds like a BS class.., but don't overlook it.., it will take the power of your writing to a whole new level)

Again.., it all depends on what YOU want to do.., where YOU would like to see yourself years from now.., after you get your Ph.D.., how what you choose to learn now.., will benefit you in the future.. you definitely don't want to burden yourself with a minor because you think it "sounds" good or "looks" good..

Yes, make sure its useful. Skip the philosophy course tho. Waste of time, IMO. All those courses teach you is someone ELSE'S idea of philosophy. Too subjective. Just read widely & you can learn this stuff for yourself & put it into your own context. Don't actually pay money for a philosophy course, lol. If you need a suggested reading list, just ask.

[anachronistic]

LW, I think you should minor in finance or management or business communication.

No matter your career, you will need these skills. Even a PhD needs to manage ppl, or have some knowledge of finance to manage your grants. A successful artist needs to know how to manage the business part of their work. If you go the diplomat route, you'll need the management & communication skills.

Trust me on this one.

What kinds of things, in specific would I get out of such a minor? And what kinds of things do I *need* to know?

I honestly feel like I know enough to manage, already. But maybe I don't. So please give me some examples.

Yes, make sure its useful. Skip the philosophy course tho. Waste of time, IMO. All those courses teach you is someone ELSE'S idea of philosophy. Too subjective. Just read widely & you can learn this stuff for yourself & put it into your own context. Don't actually pay money for a philosophy course, lol. If you need a suggested reading list, just ask.

Yes, those are the doubts that I've had about college philosophy. Please do give me a suggestive reading list; I need something to read during the summer.