I want to major into communications but I still want to minor in theatre. Will this benefit my future plans at all?

Hi Erin, I think a minor in theatre will greatly benefit you no matter what major you choose because it will make you more eloquent, confident and resourceful when it comes to presenting your ideas and relating to people. Also, when you put "theatre" on your resume, many employers will find that you stand out from other people. This happened to me when I applied for a job in education and talked about my experience with volunteer work in a community theater productions. Finally, theatre is a rewarding and enriching field where you learn analytical skills and you constantly reach for a better version of yourself. Good luck!

As a communications major you are likely to have to speak in public. Public speaking is something that employers notice and look for. So your minor in theater will be helpful and you can use to differentiate yourself in job interviews by saying something like: I have a minor in theater and I am well trained to speak in public comfortably and be understood. In know how to convey a message with voice, body language and presence.

Hi Erin. Yes it will. Go for it. The more excited about the courses you take the better you will do, in the course and later as well. As you might suspect there are probably more career opportunities in the field of communications, but anything you do in college like this makes you a more valuable potential employee someday. AND...somewhere right now, there's someone making a career with a communications job in the theater. So maybe you can do both!! However, in that vein you might consider adding a couple of business courses as well, since most communication jobs are with a company which is in business. Good luck.

Hi Erin! Absolutely. In college, I was a clinical psychology and music theory (vocal performance) double major and this decision has helped me in so many ways in my career and life.

1) I wasn't just a student, I was also a musician. You will be a student and a thespian. Employers always liked that I had interests and life experiences related to it that I could bring to the job. With a minor in theatre, I would think that you'd learn skills about working with teams/groups (always sought after by employers) and I'm sure your communication skills would be greatly impacted by being on the stage or being involved in the theatre community. Throughout my career, my performance background has helped me excel when I have presentations or opportunities to command a room. You'll hone these skills too.

2) You're just starting your life, a minor in theatre may help you discover a new passion or redirect your path. Before becoming a consultant, I was a Deputy Director for a social justice nonprofit, and before that, I toured Europe as a vocalist, played SXSW and shows throughout NYC. I'm thankful for all those experiences because they have connected me to a deeper sense of who I am and helped me define my next steps, and I link it all back to deciding to double major. For all you know, you may run the front office for a theater one day, you may be in theater, or you may stay on a path geared more toward communications and bring the skills you learned from theater.

Either way, I totally stand by having a minor or an additional major that brings you joy and can deepen your interests and life experience.

Good luck with everything!

I have always been pleasantly surprised to see when my theatre background come in handy. Giving a presentation to your colleagues? Treat it like a performance and make it more exciting to watch than just reading a Powerpoint presentation.

I think Minoring is a great option - I majored in it in undergrad, and for a period of time, I got a lot of push back after I moved into non-arts fields (One person point-blank asked me "so what are you doing here?") You'll probably be able to fend off most of those types of questions if it's a minor. Plus, you'll have a lot of fun, and it will give you some great talking points when you're interviewing and networking with people.

I also knew a lot of people in the Communications department who would participate in the theatre productions as well. There's a fair amount of overlap between them - so I would see people in the communications realm seeing a minor in theatre as a plus on your resume.

Go for it! Good Luck!