Throughout your time in college, you’ll find yourself taking similar classes over and over, usually because they are required for your major. In the midst of all of that, there is usually room for a few electives and picking those is never as simple as it seems. Yes, most students look to take easy electives that will give them the credits they need to graduate, but we shouldn’t forget that these are opportunities to expand our knowledge in different areas and possibly apply this to a future career.
With that in mind, here are a few classes that you may have not thought about but could be helpful and worth your time.
1. Law and Criminology
Yeah I know, unless you’re majoring in it, law doesn’t sound the most appealing, but a lot of schools offer classes on a variety of different types of law, which is actually really cool and of course, super helpful. The law is something nearly everyone is aware of, but not all of us really know how it works, what it means and what consequences come with it. A class like this can open your eyes to the law-abiding world we live in and some of the restrictions that come with certain industries.
For example, if you are a business major, a business law class will be super beneficial in showing you the ins-and-outs of the industry and will hopefully give you some leeway into what you might encounter in the future. Also, chances are that you’ll get to meet a lot of important figures in the world of law, and there’s never anything bad about doing some networking.
2. Public Speaking
Gives you chills just thinking about it, right? Speaking in front of a large group of people can be quite intimidating, and we’ve all seen incidents where nerves take over and someone freezes up, which is super embarrassing!
Luckily, most universities offer classes that are meant to prepare you for this, because in the real world, it is a super important skill to have. Don’t be scared to take a class like this, especially since mostly everyone in the class is taking it for the same reason. It’s totally worth it, and you really won’t have many other opportunities to practice public speaking before you graduate.
3. Digital Media
This can really be any reporting or journalism class that is offered at your school. I’ve found that classes like this can be super helpful in a variety of circumstances as these classes get you talking to people, doing research and exploring your personal interests even further.
To go with that, they can even be pretty fun, especially a digital class in which you build your own site and post regularly (it’s a great way to create a portfolio that can be shown to future employers!). You also become more experienced in the new wave of websites and social networks and employers love that.
4. Foreign Language
Pick any language! I can’t even tell you how helpful it is to be able to show an employer that you have studied (and hopefully learned a lot about) another language and culture.
No, you don’t need to be an expert Spanish speaker or fluent in Chinese, but the fact that you expanded your horizons by studying another culture shows employers that you’re constantly improving yourself. To better this opportunity even more, try studying abroad in a country that uses the language you take.
5. Marketing
Recently becoming a quite popular area to study, marketing is a very interesting area of study, as every business and industry in the world uses it. It is also a great way to expand your thought process, learn about potential markets and even make some money. Really doesn’t sound that bad, right?
Universities offer a lot of different electives to students, and opportunities like those listed above are only meant to help you, rather than hurt you. Take advantage of these classes before it’s too late!
