Appropriate minor to go with CS major

Problem Detail: 

I thought this would be the best place for a question like this. Anyway, I was wondering what minor would go well with a Computer Science degree. I was considering a minor in math but I am not entirely sure if that could help out or not. I am currently a second semester freshman and I suppose that this is the best/latest time to decide. Open to many suggestions.

Asked By : rdadkins

Answered By : Rick Decker

It depends on what you plan to do with your CS degree. If you plan to continue to graduate school, a math minor would certainly be helpful. If your interests turn out to be in hardware, and the courses are available, some courses in electrical engineering would be appropriate, as a minor or not.

On the other hand, if you plan to go straight to Real Life$^{\text{TM}}$, then the possible enhancements widen considerably. Math is still a strong contender, of course, but if, for example, you see yourself in, say, the IT department in banking or finance, a strong background in economics would also serve you well. If you are of an artistic bent and see yourself working for Pixar, a CS major and an art minor wouldn't hurt. These days, so many businesses are in some way or another computational in part, you should really be asking yourself "What do I like to do?" and then tailor your non-CS courses accordingly.

If you go the RL$^{\text{TM}}$ route, my experience with recruiters is that I've stopped asking "what courses should we offer our students to best prepare our graduates for work in your company?" because the answers are almost always "You're doing fine with your courses, but what we really want is people with an adequate technical background who can express their ideas orally and in writing and who have some idea about how the world works". Unless you're a really good writer and speaker, take some courses in writing and oral communication---it will be time well spent. If you go that way, get as broad an education as possible, since you'll eventually be making policy decisions for your company, rather than writing programs.

Finally, be open to all possibilities, since you can't know what opportunities that might open. A number of years ago, I heard from a CS major I had taught who had become a successful rodeo clown. Did he use his major? Nope. Was he happy with his life? It certainly appeared so. The single most important lesson I teach my students is, get a job you love, then you'll never have to "work" a day in your life. Best of luck.

Best Answer from StackOverflow

Question Source : http://cs.stackexchange.com/questions/21552