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What are some worthwhile minors to pair with communications?

I would like to go into editing, and I am interested in something technical as a minor, potentially applied math or computer sciences. However, I simply have no idea as to whether either will be useful in my field of choice.

#minors #communications #publishing #career #editor #editing

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Gabrielle (Gabby)’s Answer

Hi there! I think you have a few great options: business / international business being one if you plan to enter the business world. My minor in english has served me well from a functional perspective. Since I'm writing every day, it's extremely helpful to have a background in. Looking ahead towards the future of business and the job marketing, a minor in data analytics would be extremely beneficial.

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Ken’s Answer

Congratulations on being interested in finding the right career to follow.. It takes a special person to enter into a specific career field and meet the demands which that career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which make one successful in that area. The next step is doing networking to meet and talk to and possibly shadow people doing what you might think that you want to do to see if this is something that you really want to do, as a career area could look much different on the inside than it looks from the outside.  When I was doing college recruiting, I encountered too many students, who skipped these important steps, and ended up in a career/job for which they were ill suited.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Graham (Rusty)’s Answer

Many moons ago (early 1980s), I paired a communications major with history as a double major. History helped me hone my editing skills. The communications major allowed me to pursue a radio/TV track. In my case, the history concentration served me well in the job market.
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Julia’s Answer

Hi Faith,

This totally depends on where you'd like to go in your career. If you're interested in the more technical side of things and want to have a baseline knowledge of programming languages, I'd suggest computer sciences, but if you're a numbers person and really enjoy the analytical side of things (i.e. reporting on the success of a campaign, or digging into trends from numbers) analytics or applied math may be helpful.

Personally, I went for a minor in Marketing to have more hands-on experience in agency internships my university offered, but everyone has different reasons for what they want to minor in. At the end of the day, if you're passionate about studying something, I recommend going after what you're passionate about - learning doesn't stop once you graduate ;) If you realize you need additional education or on-the-job training, some companies offer continuing education benefits so you can brush up on other on-the-job needs.

Hope this helps!
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Alexandra’s Answer

Hi, I think you can pair communications with many different areas depending on the line of work you are planning to pursue. Communication goes well with a social science like history but it also goes well with English or with a foreign language. However, it can also go with a science like biology or chemistry if you are interested in science writing.
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Keana’s Answer

I think that a lot of majors pair with communications very well. To name a few: Journalism, Graphic Design, Business Management, Foreign Language and more. To determine the best minor it's best to search career prospective choices. This way you can narrow the options and make the best choice for you.
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Rachel’s Answer

I am a communications major and I had a minor in graphic design. I found that the graphic design helped inform some of my earlier marketing work in my career. In retrospect - I think getting a major or minor in business would have been incredibly helpful. In part, because the vast majority of places you will be employed are businesses. I think having a stronger understanding of business concepts would be helpful for everyone.
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Barbara’s Answer

Hi - You could consider a foreign language as a minor, as that will open up additional doors and options, plus pairs well with communications. Or, think about a business minor if you want to apply your communications degree to a role Marketing, Corporate communications, Advertising. If you want to go into technical communications, then get a minor in some technical area: computer science, IT, networking. Social media and graphics/visual design are other good minors to pair with communications. Good luck!
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Allison’s Answer

I did statistics. I don't necessarily use it, but it gives me something interesting to talk about and a broader understanding of media. If you want to into, say, science journalism, I'd do a science. But if you just want to go into communications, I'd suggest doing something you are interested in that you can talk about in a passionate way.
Thank you comment icon Computer Science would be an excellent choice of minor. I got my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. I soon realized that my real expertise was in explaining - both as an instructor but also as a writer. I was a Technical Instructor for 10 years and have been an Instructional Designer (i.e., the person who writers the technical training courses.) A minor in Mathematics might not be as useful, but I do not know enough to advise about that. Christopher Lupone
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Jim’s Answer

Hi Faith, great question. Marketing and public relations are great options as minors. A minor in a foreign language could also be extremely useful. All would make you a well-rounded professional. Another suggestion is to determine what field you want to do communications for and use that to guide your decision. It might also depend on the college or university you chose to attend and their offerings for minors. Good luck.
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