When choosing your classes, adding a minor to your major can increase your chances of future employment, according to Career Services.
Debbie Mundell, career information coordinator at Career Services, believes in the value of taking a minor in addition to a major.
“A minor could make you more marketable in your job search and a prospective employer might look at your minor as added value that shows you have greater depth,” Mundell told the Journal via email.
With a competitive job market, anything that brings you above the masses is valuable. “A minor can be viewed as additional expertise that could enhance your major,” Mundell said. “[It] can also show potential employers that you are versatile and well-rounded.”
Mundell said she recommends choosing a minor that naturally compliments your major while making sure it doesn’t overlap too much.
For example, if a student decides to major in drama, adding a minor in film would be complimentary to a drama degree, she said “Many job postings recommend ‘familiarity with’ certain areas, and if an applicant has a ‘minor’ in a subject that happens to be important for the role … a potential employer may look at that favourably,” she said. For example, a minor in a second language is often valuable in international relations.
Sylvia Stead, the public editor at The Globe and Mail who did a large amount of hiring when she was the paper’s Executive Editor, believes that having a minor can be advantageous.
“A minor or major in a field which is both needed and in short supply certainly makes you stand out more in applications of hundreds of resumes,” she told the Journal via email.
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