What should I minor in?!

College Majors Math/Computer Science Majors
1

<p>Well I have been considering the above question for 2 years now!
I'm a rising junior and I really must decide on what I'm going to minor in.
I am majoring in computer science at CMU and they require computer science students to have a minor.</p>

<p>When I was a freshman I wanted to minor in Biological Sciences or Computational Biology as I loved Biology and Genetics back then. Now however, I will need to "refresh" all the biology I know if I want to minor in one of the 2 above minors. Also, it is not the easiest minor to take considering that CS courses are pretty tough and are time consuming.</p>

<p>I then considered Business Administration since prospective employers/recruiters may like that. Note: I don't have any interest in business.</p>

<p>I also thought of minoring in Information Systems as I believe it will give me additional skills to those I earn from majoring in CS. I mean computer science is about the hardcore stuff while Information Systems is more about the user interface and design. Am I right? Will doing a minor is Information Systems benefit me? I know it won't look good on my CV as employers will just think "Oh great she majored in some computer thing and minored in another computer thing", but I don't mind if minoring in IS will actually give me extra skills.</p>

<p>After doing some research online, I found that some argue for minoring in Professional Writing for Computer Science major. How is this minor beneficial to a CS major? </p>

<p>Many fellow cs students are minoring in math as they only have to take a couple of courses to get a math minor. It is also useful for graduate studies but I am not interested in that.</p>

<p>So it is math, Biological Sciences/Computational Biology, Business Administration, Information Systems, or Professional Writing?</p>

<p>Please do help me make a decision. I need to inform my adviser of my decision next week. I know my post is long and I really appreciate those who took the time to read it and I hope that your comments will help me decide. </p>

2

<p>Well, math is the obvious choice, but Business Administration and Information Systems would also be beneficial. Since you have no interest in business, I wouldn’t pursue that. I would do either math or information systems, both would be beneficial.</p>

3

<p>To me it sounds like you’d be fine with anything but Writing and Business.</p>

<p>I don’t think tech employers really care that you minored in a tech related thing, isn’t that a plus for them? That said, I also don’t think they care too much about your minor. CS jobs are about technical ability and communication/organization in teams / projects. Use it to either pursue an interest or improve your skillset. Bio, Math, Info Systems all fit that mold.</p>

4

<p>Why do you say I won’t be fine with Writing? I was just wondering how may it be beneficial to someone majoring in computer science.</p>

5

<p>Employers dont really care about minors, and the things you learn there will probably never be part of your job. </p>

<p>I do like them, though, because they help tell a story about you. Choose something you are good at or intersts you (or both). If it fits with a hobby or other activity you do even better. </p>

<p>I think writing would be fine, or any of the communication related majors. </p>

6

<p>As said, employers don’t care about minors. You didn’t mention any interest in writing beyond the recommendation. I think its very stereotypical to think CS majors need writing/communications study, as most have a perfectly fine skillset. You have to have it to coordinate work with other people. Unless you have an interest in writing or do need to get that communication skill set, I don’t see a reason to spend time with it.</p>