Hi! I go to Michigan State (freshman), my current major is called Media and Information. My focus is game and interactive media design, where it combines game design/development & web design/development. However, I also have an interest in computer science. I love math, and coding/programming appeals to me, but I also have a passion for the arts.
So far, I haven’t really gotten into my major, only requirements. I could minor in computer science, but I heard minors don’t matter at all. I just read that there are “unicorns” (people who can code and design), but I kinda feel like my degree is too specific, and there wouldn’t be many job options for me when I get out of college. I’m also minoring in either French or German (definitely).
Computer science is certainly a fine major, though there is a lot more to CS than programming. You could perhaps look at the course requirements for CS at your school and see if many of the courses might appeal to you.
Computer science is best suited to someone with a drive in solving logic order puzzles. You don’t have to solve a rubiks cube but just as an illustration, do you have the focus to finish a side or two even if it takes a few days? It has to do with being given a task to test for conditions and organize data and then create a program that can automate future solutions of the same formula type. Web design is way easier, you can do bit by bit as you watch things change realtime, not the same when it comes with computer programming. The reason it’s one of the most highest paying profession is because so few people are qualified for how complicated it is. It may be great for you, but you’d never know until you try it. I’d recommend watching a few courses of Python programming online and see if it makes sense to you. There are plenty of python classes online. It’s one of the easier recent languages that can test your gumption.
Minors don’t matter in the sense that simply having a minor on your resume or diploma doesn’t matter. But learning skills through your minor could matter, and a computer science minor paired with the media and information major definitely could make a difference - especially if you do want to go into game design and/or web development. You need to know how to code to do that - even as a designer or artist, it certainly helps if you understand basic coding.
Should you change your major? That depends. Do you want to focus primarily on computer science, or primarily on art/design?
I’m not sure. I feel like both majors could have a good career outlook, especially since the gaming industry is constantly growing. However, I believe my only reason for not choosing media and info is out of fear of not being good at it or creative enough, and insecurities about my work.
Well, if that’s the case, get some independent evaluation of your work. Ask your art professors and media professors if they can give you feedback about your art and a realistic estimate of your chances for succeeding in the field given the level of talent you have. They can’t predict whether or not you’ll succeed, but what they CAN do is tell you whether your work is up to par with other artists and designers they know who have succeeded. If your work is well below average, then you know that you can either find ways to improve significantly or seek out something else to do.
The gaming industry is growing, but it’s still generally very competitive to get into because so many people want to work in games.