The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Take your education seriously

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    While most seniors are selecting the last few courses in their degree program to register for, I recently decided to tack on an English minor. Why would I want to take three English courses while writing my communication thesis? Call me crazy, but I figured adding a minor that showed my versatility in writing might do me some good when job hunting next summer. 

    When most students come to college, they are expected to earn a bachelor’s degree in four to five years. After walking across the stage in the University Center and shaking president John L. Crain’s hand, graduates will have a piece of paper that tells employers that they now know enough about their major to work in the field or to teach about that subject. 

    Something I think many people don’t consider is how good it looks to have a minor. Minors show employers that you concentrated in more than one niche during your time at the university. 

    All undergraduate programs require a well-rounded education, which means that students take at least one or two courses in basic subjects such as English, math, history and science. The general knowledge that students receive from these courses is seen as common knowledge by employers. 

    What businessman wants an employee writing up contracts with misspellings? Who wants a scientist who can’t complete a basic math problem? It’s important for students to understand that it’s important to employers that you can do the basics.

    Thanks to the well-rounded education we receive at Southeastern, many times a minor is only three or four classes beyond what your degree is requiring. By adding a minor, students show that they not only went above and beyond learning about their major, but they also delved beyond required courses in another field. 

    As a communication student, I was encouraged to pursue a minor in French from the moment I applied to the university. I’ve heard that a minor in a foreign language can make communication majors more desirable to employers. I completed that minor last semester, and it was only three courses more than my curriculum already required.

    My decision to add an English minor was easy. I needed to fill three electives, and I knew it would look better to work hard and have a little lagniappe to show for it than to take nine hours’ worth of easy and fun courses. It might be easy to fill up electives with bowling and sewing, but what do those classes do to further your career? 

    I believe there’s a minor that can look good paired with every major. Employers want to know you’re a professional in your area, but they also want to know you aren’t a one-trick pony. They want to see passion and commitment, and I think fulfilling a minor, or in my case, two, can be a great way to show employers that you didn’t mess around when it came to your college education.

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