<p>I have seen the question, "If I major in accounting, what should I minor in," too many times. I thought I would give my take on this.</p>
<p>Many people have been advocating a finance minor or even a double major in accounting and finance. This is certainly the easiest route since the mindset needed for both majors is the same. In fact, accounting requires some finance courses,which does make getting a minor in this much easier than otherwise. However, contrary to popular belief, I don't recommend either a minor or even a second major in finance because I don't see that much of a benefit. </p>
<p>I have several suggestions that might make you more in demand.</p>
<p>Choice one:Have a minor in criminology. If you ever want to work for the FBI or even go into forensic accounting,where there is a big demand, this would be a solid choice for a minor.</p>
<p>Choice two: Computer science. Many accounting firms and consulting firms set up computer and accounting controls for clients and other computer related issues. This double major or at least a minor in computer science will be a great asset for this type of work and make you more in demand.</p>
<p>Choice 3,which is my favorite choice.Develop a minor in either philosophy or english. I know what you are thinking, " Hey, Taxguy, these have nothing to do with accounting." However, courses in philosophy and english can be more beneficial than most people realize. I was at a CPA meeting. The single major complaint by partners is the lack of good writing skills and critical reading skills of the staff. This is a major problem among accountants. Learning how to write well and read critically will definitely be beneficial for a career in anything including accounting and consulting. Moreover, it will put you ahead of the pack if you do this well. The catch is that you don't want to do badly in these courses since your overall GPA will be important in hiring. </p>
<p>Interesting post Taxguy, def can’t disagree with the choices. I am a finance major and I am finally planning on double major with accounting. Why? Well, mainly becuase I did not start out with accounting first.lol. If I started with accounting, then I may have done MIS. I am currently an intern for a financial brokerage firm, so I figured if I double it with accounting I can find a good analyst role. In conclusion, it just depends on each individual. But thanks for your input.</p>
<p>This does not mean double majoring is for everyone. It’s pretty tough, will take time, and may lower your GPA. The latter definitely isn’t good if you want to go into Accounting.</p>
<p>If you are set on going into Accounting, major in Accounting only. Double majoring will not help you get a job in public or corporate accounting.</p>
<p>For Finance, it may depend on the positions…</p>
<p>Good post taxguy. The Business Advisory Council at my school (made up of a wide variety of business people including several accounting partners) have been complaining about the writing and critical thinking skills of the new graduates for years.</p>
<p>Our professional accounting majors pick up a finance minor because it only requires 2 additional classes. So students figure, why not?</p>
<p>But a computer science, IT or philosophy minor is a particularly good idea. I don’t think an English minor is needed if the college attended requires a great deal of writing in many of its classes and the writing and content are both graded whether it is an English class or not.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this is not the case in many colleges anymore. So maybe an English minor is a good idea.</p>
<p>On a personal note, all three of my kids attend (ed) schools that do require a lot of writing and analysis in many/most of their classes… And they had/have very diverse majors. Rigorous classes with extensive writing requirements may have been hard, but paid off.</p>
<p>Definitely, having a double major or even a major in accounting with a minor in something isn’t easy unless the student can place out of a few courses with AP etc. However, if that is the case, a double major or certainly a minor is quite doable.</p>
<p>Toshtemirov, I don’t mind a minor in economics IF you will develop strong writing and critical reading skills. I don’t really know what economics entails. I would bet, however, that you don’t get the same degree of writing training as you would in philosophy or english.</p>
<p>What about double majoring? What majors have you found to be the most useful, the most applicable? I am currently double majoring in Accounting and Finance, but I could easily switch to Management Information Systems, Economics, Marketing, etc. </p>
<p>Also, I’ll have between 8-10 “free” classes that will help me reach 150 hours. Would you recommend minoring or just taking a variety of English, Political Science, etc?</p>
<p>One of my all time favorite classes in college was a Political Science class focusing on Developing countries. It wasn’t a class for a minor. I just wanted to take it.</p>
<p>That being said, you can learn a lot of interesting stuff by doing a minor that may not be considered practical for your major.</p>
<p>I’m minoring in English because I like the subject and writing. However, before reading this I was thinking about switching to a minor in finance. Now, I am sticking with english and am excited about it.</p>