<p>Say I major in biology and minor in finance and four years later decide not to go to medical school, would I still be able to get a job in finance with just a minor. What exactly is the point of minoring?</p>
<p>A minor shows that you went into some depth in a subject.</p>
<p>A bio major with a minor in finance who decides against medical school is more likely to get a job in finance than a bio major with no background in finance. The minor could give you a chance to accentuate the positive when you apply for jobs: "I thought about medicine, but took some courses in finance, and concluded that I would find a career in that area more suited to my interests." That plays better than "I decided against medical school, and need to find something else to do."</p>
<p>Thanks, that was an informative reply. So, finance is still possible with a minor? Good to know.</p>
<p>Is finance possible with just a minor? It's the wrong question. What governs one's ability to get a job in finance, indeed any job, is demonstrating the skills and motivation needed to do the job. Credentialing is one way to show skill, but normally not enough. Your experience, the specific courses you may have taken, and your ability to sell yourself will all be more important than having a major or minor.</p>
<p>And, as they say on infomercials, but wait, there's more....</p>
<p>Finance is a broad field. To get a job in retail security sales takes more fortitute than training or experience. Indeed, contacts and sales ability count for more than college courses. OTOH, to get a job as a stock analyst takes a lot of training, usually an MBA.</p>
<p>Anyway, Indy, my best advice is to go after what you like, at least for the first year or two. Ask a lot of questions, especially of adults doing jobs you have an interest in, especially how they got there. You may find some surprises, including how much the people you ask enjoy answering the question.</p>
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newmassdad writes: my best advice is to go after what you like, at least for the first year or two. Ask a lot of questions, especially of adults doing jobs you have an interest in, especially how they got there. You may find some surprises, including how much the people you ask enjoy answering the question.
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This is excellent advice. When you are in college that is the time to explore careers and your interests. Most colleges have lists of alums that are willing to speak with students about their career or even allow them to shadow them for a day on the job -- check at the career center. Even more helpful are internship positions in which you actually get to try out a job and see other people doing it and related things. Many is the engineer, for example, who discovers during an internship that bench work isn't quite what they want, but they can use their preference for a technically-oriented job in the sales or marketing dept. And newmassdad is right, most people are happy to talk about their careers with those thinking of entering it. I bet you'll find that even those who don't love the job themselves recognize that others may have different preferences and will be glad to tell you what it takes to make it a good fit.</p>