Choosing a major can put unnecessary pressure on first-time college students. I remember feeling like I had to have my whole life planned out before even stepping onto the Cal Poly campus. Going from a very generalized high school education straight into a college education, where it can feel like your major will determine your academic future, can be jarring. There is a huge misconception that your major automatically determines the career paths available to you after graduating. And while it is true that your major will help you learn specialized skills and knowledge in a certain area, it doesn’t limit you to one set of options. This is where minors come in.Â
Minors are often overlooked because people think they don’t serve a real purpose. I actually feel quite the opposite. I hadn’t really thought much about a minor before I took my first art history class. I quickly fell in love with decoding the brush strokes of Renaissance paintings and finding the subtleties in different symbols. I never had the opportunity to explore art history in high school and knew that I wanted to learn more. That was when I looked into an art history minor and decided it was right for me. Maybe it would help me in a future career, or maybe not. But either way, I felt excited at the prospect of truly learning something new.
College has become so focused on positioning yourself to be the perfect candidate for the post-collegiate job market, and understandably so. There is a growing trend of people truly struggling to secure a job post-grad. So yes, it is important to be prepared for a job after school, but I think it is equally important to grow your mind in areas that interest you while you have the opportunity to. A minor can also strengthen your resume, as many minors serve as the perfect support or addition to a major. I am also considering adding a second minor in law and society, which would support my journalism major, but also interests me. Knowing a specific area can help you stand out in an oversaturated applicant pool.
A minor can be an opportunity to explore that one subject that has always interested you but was never a part of your major plan. Minors can be as few as three additional classes, which is very manageable for most students, especially if you came into Cal Poly with credits from high school.Â
Minors give you the freedom to pursue something that excites you. For those not considering grad school or further education, college may be one of the last times when our primary focus is learning and expanding our education. We would be remiss not to at least consider the opportunity to learn and grow more as students and as people. So when you feel a bit tired of your major classes and are craving something new, consider a minor.Â