<p>I could ramble on and on about this, but I'll try to make it as short as possible.</p>
<p>So, I'm a student at the University of Minnesota. I started out in CLA (The College of Liberal Arts), because I didn't really know what I wanted to do. At the beginning of college, I was interested in all of these fields (and still am):</p>
<p>English
Psychology
Elementary Education
Film Studies
Biology
Spanish
Economics
Marketing
Management Information Systems (MIS)
Finance
Public and Nonprofit Management</p>
<p>Sometime during the end of my first year, I decided I wanted to go into the business school (CSOM). This was based on countless hours of research into different majors, different careers, people's perspective on different degrees, employment statistics, articles about the best jobs, etc.</p>
<p>I still have an incredible strong interest in education, but I was advised my many people that it's much easier to start somewhere and then later break into education than starting in education and trying to do something else.</p>
<p>So, I transferred into CSOM as a Marketing and MIS double major, and so far, I'm excelling.</p>
<p>My GPA has risen from a 3.5 to a 3.8, I've been on the Dean's List 3 times, I've had multiple professors reach out to me to say that they believe I'll do well in any job in the fields I'm interested in and they'd be glad to write me a letter of recommendation at any point in the future.</p>
<p>One of my statistics professors even told me I did the best in his class (around a 98.5%) out of any student he's ever had in 15 years of teaching and offered me a full-time job at his company as a Business Analyst!</p>
<p>I'm now a Marketing major, MIS minor, since I realized I have a much stronger interest in Marketing than MIS. I can't fit in a double major, but I can fit in a minor easily enough.</p>
<p>Anyways, here's the issues I'm having now:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Marketing as a major is easier than most business majors and is often looked down on. But, I really enjoy it and I do well at it. I'm getting good experience in it too. I currently work at a very well known company as a marketing consultant and I've got a position as a Teaching Assistant lined up for a Marketing Research class next Fall (one I just completed last semester). I'm still worried about picking it as a major though given the stigma. What if I'm viewed badly for picking an "easy" major? Am I too smart to major in Marketing? I've had people tell me that and I never know how to respond. My saving grace to that is thinking, "The more you are surrounded by slackers, the easier it is for someone with true dedication and passion to shine." What if I can't find a job with a Marketing major? I'm hoping that wouldn't be the case because of the experience I've mentioned, my stellar grades, and the fact that the area I'm mainly interested in is marketing research, which seems to do well these days job-wise.</p></li>
<li><p>I'm struggling to pick a minor with my major. I know minors aren't as important; please don't just tell me that. In my case, I'm trying to pick a minor that will minimize my risks of finding a job / picking the wrong major and/or give me an edge as a marketing major. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>The three minors I'm debating between are:</p>
<p>MIS: My current one. Pairs well with a marketing major given the extensive use of technology and data in marketing these days. Displays analytical skills. Also gives me an edge in being more technologically-savvy than my peers. Additionally, since the program is exceptionally well-known at UMN (#3 in the nation), I feel like even as a minor it carries some weight. I don't enjoy MIS as much as other minors, but I enjoy it enough to take the classes and do well in them. Also with MIS, if I couldn't find work in marketing, I could always go back and fairly quickly get a degree in MIS. Oh, and lastly, I only need a few more classes to complete this minor.</p>
<p>Economics: I enjoy economics, I've done exceptionally well at it in the classes I've taken. I'd imagine I'd enjoy this minor as well. Mainly I would minor in this to show that I have strong quantitative skills, since that can't necessarily be assumed with simply a major in Marketing. The downside is this one would be quite a bit of classwork needed.</p>
<p>Educational Psychology: As I mentioned at the top, I have an interest in Education. I always have my whole life. I took an education class and enjoyed it a lot. I've worked multiple jobs within education and for the most part have enjoyed them all. I've also always enjoyed work where I work one on one with people and help them, an example being that I work as a major mentor adviser at my college. This minor blends those interests together. I'm sure I would enjoy all the classes in this minor. The main use for it would be to give me a pathway to break into education related fields if I want to do so down the line. I could easily see myself becoming a college academic adviser or school guidance counselor at some point; this minor would expedite that process. The downside is that the minor is probably quite easy, and certainly wouldn't look impressive or give me an edge when seeking marketing jobs. </p>
<p>I know that's a ton of text.</p>
<p>There's just a lot weighing on my chest, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>