Why is Your Choice of Minor Important in an Ad/PR Degree?
Although choosing a college major is essential and important to your success as a student, choosing a minor that is compatible with that major is equally as important. In this blog, I will be talking about my experience with choosing a minor for my major, and the different types of minors that are compatible with advertising and public relations.
#1: Why I chose the minor that I did
Digital Studies! One of the newest minors available to students at GVSU, this is a minor that encompasses the study of graphic design, online identity, and navigation/understanding of digital spaces. This minor is intriguing to me because graphic design, video editing, and identity in digital spaces are hobbies and interests of mine, all of which complement what is taught and learned in the Ad/PR major at GVSU. When we think of Ad/PR in 2020, we often think of social media, website branding, and digital communication and the Digital Studies minor encompasses all of these things.
#2 Other minors that are useful for Ad/PR
Since Ad/PR encompasses a wide variety of sub-fields, there are many different minors that are applicable to the overall theme of the Ad/PR major. Writing, marketing, general business, communication studies, hospitality and tourism management are all minors that have skills that translate directly to and with the Ad/PR major. Many college students view their major as the most important part of study during their time in college, while a college student’s minor is of equal importance. Hopefully, this has encouraged you to investigate your minor further and make a decision that directly complements your skills as an Ad/PR major.
#3 The Importance of Writing in Ad/PR
A career in advertising and public relations requires professionals to have solid writing skills for copywriting, press releases, social media posts, and other forms of content that are promoted. The importance of copy (the literal writing) on a piece of an advertisement is essential to the success of that advertisement. This is why writing is an essential skill to obtain while pursuing an advertising and public relations degree and is a skill that is a priority for many hiring managers in the field. Personally, I found that my WRT 150 class my freshman year at GVSU has enabled me to understand how impactful writing can be within my major. Throughout the class, we had four different pieces of writing of which culminated in a final portfolio piece due as the final exam. Each writing piece had a different goal, allowing me to develop a variety of different skills surrounding writing. You might say “Carson, why did you tell me about ONE class you had your freshman year? How can this possibly make a difference in your writing ability?”. Well, I would say to you that it sparked a need and desire to continuously practice and innovate my writing style to be the best writer I could for my future success as a professional.
#4 What’s my next step?
So, now that we know that choosing a minor is equally as important as choosing a major, and writing is of the utmost importance when developing an AD/PR skill set, let’s talk about where we should go from here. First, we need to be cautious and proceed with intention. Intentionally making a decision on a minor or even a class is important to progress your skill-set in a way that will benefit you the most. Additionally, talk to your peers. Talk to people that have been there. Talk to people that can give you an accurate experience and skill-set they have obtained while engaging in that minor or taking that class. This is important and can frame your future decision making.
#5 Quick recap
What did we talk about?
Choosing a minor compatible with Ad/PR.
Keep writing as a centerpiece in your skill-set.
Be cautious and proceed intentionally.
About Carson
Carson Kunnen is a junior Ad/PR major with a minor in digital studies. He works as an Account Associate at GrandPR and is the Team Lead of the GVSU Technology Showcase. He enjoys gaming, traveling, biking, and creating YouTube videos in his free time!