I am a Mechanical Engineering major with a minor in Mathematics. I am looking at getting another minor in either economics or marketing. What are the advantages of each and how will they help me?
Why minor in economics or marketing? Do you plan on getting a master’s degree in something other than ME (some folks do…)? If you do want a “business” related minor, you may want to go with a minor in Business Administration.
Otherwise, what other minor’s are offered at your school? Math is always good…more math the better…
Your department may offer a minor in Electrical Engineering, or something more esoteric like Biomechanics or Biomolecular. They could also offer a minor in Sales Engineering (if Sales could be your thing). Talk with an advisor in your ME department, they should be able to give you several good options.
A minor in economics or marketing will not help you; it WILL hurt you. As a hiring manager, I wanted people who were dedicated to engineering and were the best trained at engineering. A minor like economics or marketing takes away from class time that could have been spent on engineering and puts doubt into my mind about your dedication to engineering. I would round file those resumes.
Don’t bother. Spend the time and money you would have spent in the extra classes pursuing your own engineering projects which would show far more interest than some wanky economics major.
You will not get a rise in salary and as HPuck mentioned it may very well hurt you.
Though I’m not an employer, I’ve done a bunch of research on the same topic as I was wondering the same thing. The general consensus I got was that minors won’t really do much for you in terms of employment/applications so if you’re going to minor in something do it in something you personally enjoy. I’ve even been told that an off-topic minor (history, foreign language, etc.) may even be favored since it shows that you’re diverse in your interests and education and that you’re more than just a robot that can crunch numbers, which you should be able to anyway due to your major.
I’d say if you’re going to minor in something, do it in something you enjoy that is not related to career. College is a time to educate yourself on all different things. If you’re plan is to use your time to help your career then I’d agree with mrratburn and say to start messing around with your own personal engineering projects, or even joint a club at your school involved in such projects. Maybe even an internship (probably the best option).
You can take classes in a subject without having to get a minor in it. It is just the number of classes that are typically required for a minor take away from your engineering prep. I did take economics classes (3 actually) that help meet my general ed requirements. I also took photography and other interesting classes for that requirement. I also played varsity (D3) ice hockey and rowed crew.
College is definitely a time to explore. It is just also a time to prepare yourself for your professional career. The best prepared typically do the best.
When you interview for a job, your personality will come across quite well. Engineers are not robots, just people who are trained to solve problems in a logical manner.
"Engineers are not robots, just people who are trained to solve problems in a logical manner. "
Sorry, poor choice of words on my part, but I’m sure you know what I meant.