Tag: college major

What Types of Skills Are Best for an Advertising Major?

Advertising may seem like it’s all about creating amazing ads, but there’s a lot more than goes into it than that. What sorts of skills will you need if you want to succeed in your college’s advertising major? Here are the top six skills you need to have when embarking on this major.

Communication skills

Above all, advertising is about being able to communicate thoughts, feelings and emotions to consumers through various mediums, whether that be a television commercial, a print ad in a magazine or a website banner ad.

In addition, you’ll also have to be able to present your thoughts and findings to peers, professors and potentially even clients while in college, so having a strong knack for pitching ideas and explaining your thought process to others is crucial to your success as an advertising major.

Creativity

Do you have a knack for coming up with wacky ideas and finding outside-of-the-box ways to execute them? Advertising may be the perfect major for you. In your classes, you’ll be able to put your best ideas to the test, figuring out ways to take your concepts from brainstorm to full product.

If coming up with ideas on the spot and tweaking them accordingly is something that thrills you, studying advertising in college is a great option.

Ability to take criticism

Because advertising is a mix of opinions and data, you’ll have to be able to take feedback from peers and professors alike when your idea needs to be tweaked or scrapped entirely. Advertising majors need to be able to run with any idea and also not get too fixated on a particular plan, as things change all the time.

Analytical/quantitative skills

Think advertising is all about making interesting or funny graphics? Think again! Advertising majors not only learn the ins and outs of psychology and design, but they also need to be able to understand how to analyze and interpret data.

For example, what does it mean if consumers are responding to a particular ad? How can that ad be made more effective? What does it mean if it isn’t effective? These are all key questions that need to be answered.

Knowledge of media trends

Since advertising relies heavily on the ability to capitalize on trends, it’s important for advertising majors to be on top of things that are trending in the industry and in the news. In addition to being interested in the types of ad campaigns and news stories that are most engaging, advertising majors also need to have an understanding of why certain things work when others don’t.

Problem-solving skills

Advertising is all about solving two majors problems: First, what are you to convey to your audience, and how does that support or conflict with your audience’s desires? Second, how can you pivot your ideas depending on how your particular campaign is going?

Advertising majors spend a lot of time discussing and working on these two problems across the board, so if you love tackling challenge after challenge, it’s a great major for you to consider.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is an Advertising Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Tell Me About Yourself.

Career Opportunities for Advertising Majors

Despite the fact that advertising falls under the umbrella of marketing, it’s actually an incredibly flexible major that can open up all sorts of career opportunities in a variety of fields. Even better? They don’t all necessarily have to have a marketing focus.

Here are some of the many fields where you can use your advertising degree:

Marketing

Since advertising is part of marketing, most advertising majors will end up in marketing-related roles once they get out into the workforce. Advertising majors can put their credentials to good use as account executives or media planners for a marketing agency, or they can work in more creative roles as art directors, copywriters or event planners. In fact, because of the substantial overlap between these two fields, advertising majors are able to fill almost all of the same roles as marketing majors.

Politics

Many advertising majors have found success working for political campaigns and other initiatives surrounding candidates, causes and policies. Knowing how to market a person or cause to a particular demographic is vital in the world of politics, and your expertise will be wildly important if you choose to enter this field.

Sales

Many of the skills you learn as an advertising major (figuring out what your audience wants and then designing and presenting a pitch that appeals to them through various platforms) can make you a dynamite member of any sales team. Whether you’re working as a sales representative, a sales operations team member or another role within this field, your advertising background will come in handy.

Public Relations

Public relations is in the same wheelhouse as advertising and marketing, so it’s a natural fit for advertising majors who want to get into the world of publicity. Career options in this field include becoming a PR strategist or account executive, developing and executing strategies to boost a brand’s public presence. Depending on the type of role you choose, you could be working either at an agency or in-house at a particular company.

Design

If your advertising studies had a design component, you could find a successful career as a graphic designer or web designer. Your advertising background will also enable you to not only create beautiful designs but also understand the data and psychology behind why your work will resonate with a particular audience.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is an Advertising Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as 7 Phone Interview Tips That Will Land You a Second Interview.

What Types of Skills Are Best for a Natural Sciences Major?

Do you love the sciences but aren’t sure what goes into being an amazing natural sciences major? Here are the top three skills you need to have to thrive in the major and feel confident heading into the workforce after graduation.

Strong math and science skills

It sounds obvious, but it bears discussion: Natural sciences majors need to have incredibly robust math and science skills to succeed in this major. Your course of study will depend on which science or sciences you focus on, but regardless of your concentration you’ll be spending a lot of time in science and math classes, going to help sessions and working in a lab.

Lab skills

Having strong math and science skills doesn’t immediately translate into stellar lab skills. Lab technique is gained over time and requires the ability to be meticulous and detail-oriented. Additionally, “lab technique” isn’t just how you perform in a physical laboratory; it covers field work, sample and data collection and everything else that has to do with actual experimentation. The bottom line? You’ll need to be willing to take your time and make sure your results are accurate no matter what you’re studying.

Project management skills

Typically students who major in natural sciences are working on at least one bigger project at any given time, and it’s not enough just to know the science behind the experiments; it’s just as important to know how to run an efficient, organized and accurate set of experiments. Thus, natural sciences majors need to know how to manage their time and also any lab work and writeups they’re doing. For example, if you’re working on a major research project that includes other peers, how do you organize yourselves? How will you write your report? How will you schedule and prioritize experiments?

Having strong project management and research skills is one of the key ways to ensure that you’ll be able to handle all of the requirements of this major from completing lab work to keeping group projects organized.

Next, learn more about this college major such as Philosophy and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Make Your Resume Stand Out.

What Types of Skills Are Best for a Math Major?

If the idea of working on problem sets, finding solutions and solving real-world problems appeals to you, becoming a math major might be right up your alley. But what are the key skills you’ll need to rock the math major and feel confident in your career prospects?

Here are four skills that all of the most successful math majors possess.

Strong quantitative skills

Fact: You can be a math major unless your number-crunching, quantitative and logic skills are extremely strong. Majoring in math is not for those who did “okay” in math classes in high school; you need to be confident in your abilities to solve problems.

Organizational skills

Math majors take a lot of notes in classes, so you’re going to have to think of an efficient system for note-taking on many different subjects and also organizing the notes you take. You’d be surprised how easy it is to get lost if you can’t keep track of the notes you’ve written or the problem sets you’ve finished; successful math majors are able to keep all of their documents straight.

Patience

It may seem like a strange skill for a math major, but think about it: You’re spending hours upon hours every day working on difficult problem sets, and it’s easy to get frustrated and give up.

However, math majors need to be able to stay calm and ask for help when they need it, and the most successful people in this major are those who are able to remain calm when a problem doesn’t make sense, try out different strategies to find a solution and turn to others if the answer isn’t obvious.

Problem-solving skills

Right up there with patience is the importance of having a problem-solving mind, one that desires to find the solution to any problem and will work tirelessly to find it.

The great thing about majoring in math is that your calculations and equations can solve big real-world problems, but you have to be curious, ready and willing to take on new challenges, many of which won’t have obvious solutions right off the bat.

Next, learn more about this college major such as Finance and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Top 10 Things You Should Look for in a Company

Career Opportunities for Philosophy Majors

From learning about ancient philosophies to studying various types of texts, being a philosophy major gives you an inside look into some of the issues societies have been grappling with since the beginning of time. But if you’re a philosophy major, you may be wondering about the best way to apply your knowledge and your skills in the real world. For example, what career paths can you embark on with a philosophy major and how can you put your skills to use in those roles?

Here are some of the most common career paths for philosophy majors.

Law

Since philosophy majors spend so much time focusing on big-picture questions and grappling with ethics and ideas, a career in the legal field can be a wonderful fit for them. From working to enact legislative change to advocating on behalf of clients, philosophy majors make wonderful lawyers, paralegals and legislative aides.

Education

Another great career path for philosophy majors is education. With their strong communication skills and knowledge of history and culture, philosophy majors can excel as teachers at both the secondary (middle school and high school) and postsecondary levels (college and beyond).

Research

For those philosophy majors who thrive in a research-focused environment, a career in the research field can also be a great fit. From pursuing a doctorate in philosophy to conducting research projects for a government organization or nonprofit, philosophy majors can excel in a research-oriented profession.

Business

Although philosophy may seem far removed from the world of business, there are a lot of overlaps between the skills philosophy majors use in their classes and those that apply to a business setting. These include critical-thinking skills which are great for identifying operational problems and communication skills which are crucial for running a business.

Consulting

Like the more general field of business, consulting is a natural fit for philosophy majors since it relies heavily on the ability to assess business challenges and to offer creative solutions. Best of all, consulting allows philosophy majors the opportunity to apply their understanding of big-picture issues in a practical and effective way.

One of the best things about being a philosophy major is that it can help you build a broad range of skills while also giving you insights into how societies function and what they need in order to thrive. These are lessons that can easily be applied to fields like business, consulting and education. The best way to find out which type of career is right for you is to take on an internship in a field that interests you. This will give you the hands-on experience you need to find the perfect job.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Philosophy Major and is it Right for Me? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as When to Start Applying for a Summer Internship.

Types of Internships for Global Studies Majors

With its strong focus on political science and economics, a global studies major can help you develop a broad range of research and critical thinking skills. It can also open up the doors to many exciting career opportunities in fields such as politics and the nonprofit sector. To find out which of these opportunities matches your skills and interests, we recommend taking on an internship.

Here are some of the most common internships for global studies majors:

Political intern (with the State Department or with a congressman)

Political internships with the Department of State or with congressmen and women are extremely prestigious and competitive. From conducting research on elections and specific candidates to drafting outreach materials and providing administrative support, there are plenty of opportunities to develop your skills while learning a lot about the field of politics. You’ll get an insider’s view of various campaigns and government activities, and have the opportunity to network with others in the field.

NGO/Nonprofit intern

While interning at a nonprofit, you’ll be working to support a cause or community. This role will give you hands-on experience working in a cross-functional capacity as well as the flexibility to gain expertise in different roles. From doing research to helping with logistics, marketing and operations, an internship at an NGO or nonprofit will give you insights into all of the trends and issues you’ve studied in your global studies classes.

Journalism intern

If you plan on branching out into digital or broadcast journalism, an internship for a newspaper or news channel is the way to go. As a journalism intern, you’ll get to research stories, observe the editing process, manage social media accounts and attend media-related events. You’ll also get to network, pitch ideas and possibly write your own articles on some of the important national and global issues you’re passionate about.

Public relations intern

Since public relations is a vital component of fields such as politics, government and entertainment, global studies majors wishing to specialize in PR can get much-needed experience through an internship. During this internship, you’ll promote the brand behind a product or individual. You’ll also get a feel for what the PR work culture is like, while learning how to develop and manage social media and publicity campaigns.

Public policy intern

From assisting with the collection of legislative research to researching and analyzing various areas of public policy or even attending conferences as a representative of the organization, a public policy internship gives students a solid understanding of how policy is enacted. Whether your internship focuses on educational reform, economic development or a humanitarian division or organization, you’ll get wonderful exposure into the procedures that play a major role in facilitating change.

Business internship (sales, marketing, operations) for a global company

Another common internship for global studies majors is a business internship with a global company. By giving you exposure to different areas of the business—like marketing, sales and operations—this type of internship will help you learn more about patterns and trends in the global market while also giving you a chance to apply what you’ve learned during your time in college.

More than anything, an internship gives you much-needed insight into the aspects of your major that you are most interested in. This is especially essential for global studies majors, given the fact that the major opens up so many possible doors.

Next, learn more about this college major such as What is a Global Studies Major? and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as Top 10 Things You Should Look For In An Internship.

What Types of Skills Are Best for a Literature Major?

Before you decide to officially become a literature major, it’s important to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into in terms of the skills you’ll need to succeed in the major. Here are the top 5 qualities you need to make sure you possess to ensure that you rock the literature major.

Reading skills

It goes without saying that you’ll be reading a lot as a literature major. However, being a “good” reader goes far beyond just getting through the pages and books you’re assigned in a timely manner.

The best readers are also star annotators and note-takers, and they know how best to categorize and remember the information they read for later.

Writing skills

Literature majors will spend lots of time crafting their thoughts on various works into essays and papers, so the most successful majors are those who have strong writing skills and also aren’t intimidated by writing prompts.

Critical thinking skills

Being a literature major means being able to think deeply about everything you read and dissect. You’ll need to be able to look at a work from all angles and consider what is the most important. Then, you’ll need to articulate those thoughts well.

Communication skills

Literature majors need to not only read and write well, but they need to be able to explain their thought processes and ideas effortlessly to professors and peers in the classroom. Additionally, the best literature majors aren’t intimidated by speaking in classes ranging from small seminars of under 15 students to lecture halls of over 100 people.

Time management skills

Because you’ll spend so much time reading, writing, and expressing your thoughts and ideas in class, the best literature majors have superior time management skills to keep track of it all. This means knowing when and where you work best on campus and being willing to spend some extra time in the library to make sure you understand the material (even on weekends).

 

Next, learn more about this college major such as Architecture and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Get the Job You Really Want.

What is a Double Major?

As you get closer to declaring your major, you may be faced with some tough choices. Would you rather major in creative writing or economics? More importantly, which major would set you up for greater success? As you consider your options you might also think about the best way to combine your interests into a double major.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re thinking of studying two subjects at once.

What is a double major?

A double major is a combined focus on two academic subjects. Although these subjects may be closely linked (such as economics and business), they can also be vastly different (such as biochemistry and French). In order to successfully complete a double major, you’ll typically need to take double the number of major-related classes, since you’ll typically need to fulfill up to 12 classes in each of your chosen subjects.

What are the benefits of a double major?

There are many benefits to doing a double major including increased exposure to new things, networking opportunities and skill building. In fact, studying two subjects at once is a great way to open up doors when it comes time to find a full-time job. Best of all, employers are likely to be impressed by your work ethic and to consider you a strong candidate.

What are some of the challenges of a double major?

Although there are many benefits to doing a double major, it’s also important to consider some of the challenges that come along with it. For example, with an increased workload every semester you’ll have less time for electives, internships and extracurriculars. Although this won’t necessarily negatively impact your college experience, it’s definitely something to keep in mind as you get ready to declare your major.

Choosing a major is one of the most important parts of your college career. When deciding whether to declare a double major, be sure weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a double major and make the decision that fits you best.

 

Next, learn more about this college major such as Computer Science and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Evaluate Job Fit in Your Interview.

What is a Minor?

A minor is a specialization or concentration that may or may not complement your college major. For example, if you are majoring in Biology, you may choose to minor in a related field, such as Chemistry, or an unrelated field, such as Spanish. Minoring in a completely different field can help you gain knowledge or skills in a field distinct from your major. In a sense, a minor is like a “mini” major. Generally speaking, students who elect to do a minor have to take 4-6 classes in the chosen subject. This is about half of the amount required for a major, which typically requires between 8-12 classes.

A minor gives you an edge.

Pursuing a minor allows you to enhance your major studies and develop a side passion. It gives you an edge intellectually by introducing you to new ideas and, depending on what you choose, it can give you a professional edge, too. That extra line on your resume shows potential employers a few things. If your minor is related to your field, it can show potential employers that you have a depth of knowledge that sets you apart from other recent graduates in your intended industry. A minor unrelated to your field may show employers that you are curious and multi-faceted. Either way, a minor indicates that you are willing to pursue a rigorous workload and commit to finishing what you start.

Ask yourself if and why you want to minor.

Ask yourself exactly why you wish to minor in a subject. Is this a subject you love but couldn’t pursue as a major for whatever reason? Will this minor make you more competitive in your field? What benefits could this minor bring to your career in the short and long-term? For example, do you want to improve upon your foreign language skills to broaden your post-grad horizon? Or, do you want to learn how to code, run a small business, or obtain some other skillset you cannot learn from your major? Your minor can help you achieve your goals, but you must know what those goals are.

Do your research, talk to your faculty advisor, and take at least one sample class in your minor to help you make this important decision.

Assess the feasibility of taking on a minor.

You may have the interest to do a minor but not the time and energy. Before committing to a minor, meet with your advisor to go over the requirements. Minors often are best for students with broad majors in business or the liberal arts. They also work well for students on track for career paths in competitive fields. An engineering major, for instance, may have less time and reason to acquire a minor than an English major because their major demands might be stricter and their career path is less competitive due to the nation’s shortage of engineers.  Majors in the hard and practical sciences tend to be very structured with little room for choice or flexibility.

Pro tip: One effective way to pick up a minor is to “double dip.” A single class may be required by both your major and your minor. By taking that class, you fulfill a requirement in both programs without putting in extra time or effort. This tactic generally is most feasible for students who choose a minor similar to their major. A student majoring in French may be able to minor in, say, European Studies or Translation Studies, simply by taking an additional class or two beyond what is required for the major.

Another consideration is money. You must figure out if you can afford what may amount to an extra semester of work. Most minors require five or six classes, or about 15 to 18 credit hours, devoted to that area of study. If your major and minor course requirements do not overlap at all and you do not have AP, IB, or community college credits, you will have to be very wise about structuring your elective classes. Otherwise, you almost certainly will spend extra time in college.

Declaring your minor.

After you’ve taken a sample class or two and made your decision, you may think you’re ready to declare your minor. Make sure you know exactly how to do that. Every college or university has a different process for declaring a minor. You may have to meet with your advisor or the head of the program. You might even have to officially apply for the program, similar to the way you may have applied for your major in the first place. No matter what, you will almost certainly have to fill out paperwork to make your minor official—but this investment of your time, money, effort and brainpower can make a huge difference in your academic career and professional life.

 

Next, learn more about this college major such as Philosophy and get more career tips for internships and entry-level jobs such as How to Stand Out With Business Cards.