I dunno what to major in art history, graphic design or communication. I really wanna be an art director but I dont want to drop either of the 3 subjects. What's more worth? Which subjects should I major and which should I minor? And does minoring also worth as much as majoring when you apply for jobs? And how expensive is it to minor 2?

Hi Angel

You've got some pretty big questions here, and to be honest, no one can or should tell you which subject to major in. You should be the one to make that choice, based on your interests, experiences, talents, and desires for your future life style. On Career Village, we can't tell you what to do, but we can give you some information, so that you can make your own choices.

You say you want to be an "art director", but there are lots of different kinds of art directors--an art director is really someone in charge of other artists and their projects, and they work in many different areas of the art field. So you could be talking about graphic design, advertising design, television shows, websites, movies, publishing, and so on. You might want to narrow down what area of the art field you are interested in. Please understand, rarely do you start out anywhere as an art director, but, like any other managerial situation, it is a position that you are promoted to on the basis of hard work, expertise, and experience.

Minoring in a subject is a possibility, if you have more than one strong interest, which you seem to do. I could see a major in graphic design with a minor in communications, or maybe a major in art history with a minor in graphic design, or any other combination of these three subjects. Your college or university advisors could help you with this. The value of any major or minor to future employers depends on how the subjects relate to what they want to hire you for.

I hope this helps. (By the way, please watch your grammar....."dunno" is fine in conversation with your friends, but not when you are asking professionals for career advice.)

Best wishes!

Hi Angel,

Here's something that might help you feel a bit better about your major/minor choices: most careers don't follow a linear path. That means that even if you choose art history over communications, that doesn't mean that you then have to give up on a career in communications to be an art historian. And depending on where you want to pursue a college degree, you have the potential to take on a double major, even a triple major (which is what my husband did a few years ago). And some schools also allow for a double minor. But quantity should always be considered alongside quality, as well. You can have a major, yes, but a college career is also full of potential for you to be part of organizations that relate to your interests, as well as internships and volunteer opportunities where you can discover answers to questions like "do I really want to become an art director?" And like Ellen said earlier, there are different sorts of art directors. So, don't let yourself get overwhelmed by thinking that you've only got your degree major to help you determine your future. You have so much more to help you on your journey!

If you're interested in learning a bit more about how to open your college career up to a lot of exciting possibilities (and maybe to determine whether you really want to work toward becoming an art director), I recommend checking out Designing Your Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, or You Majored In What? by Katherine Brooks (she talks about the problem with "linear career paths" in the first chapter). Both of these books talk about strategies for finding possible career paths that could be fulfilling for you. And by all means, if you know an art director or can contact one, ask them if they can answer a few questions about their work for you!