Just about anyone interested in an accounting major or career or would like to know what’s a good minor for an accounting degree. After all, choosing the right minor can look really good on an application to grad school or a resume for your first accounting job. The knowledge and skills you’d pick up from completing a suitable minor would also help you excel at your accounting job. If you’re still unsure of what minor to pick as a complement to your accounting major, here are a few great choices to consider.
Computer Science
According to the newsletter for the College of New Jersey, computer science is a great minor for accounting. Every business seeks out job candidates who have computer skills. As an accountant, you would likely have to learn various types of accounting software for the job. These programs can range from simple word processing and spreadsheet apps to more complex tax calculation and specialized accounting apps. These days, much of the accounting work is done using a computer instead of by hand, so you’re going to have to get familiar with operating computers
Mathematics
Minors in mathematics are also very appropriate for those looking to obtain an accounting degree. Accountants are often referred to as number-crunchers, because their work involves doing a lot of mathematical calculations. If you aren’t stellar at basic math, you’re probably going to have a difficult time adjusting to an accounting job. A statistics minor would prove useful since accountants must produce financial summaries and reports at regular intervals to inform their superiors of the current status of their funds. A calculus minor would also help you become more comfortable with using certain complex accounting functions to produce monetary figures of interest.
Related Resource: Online Accounting Degrees
Foreign Language
At first glance, a foreign language minor appears to be completely unrelated to accounting, but it’s essential if you ever plan on working internationally. Scoring a position overseas would be meaningless if you’re unable to effectively communicate with your co-workers and superiors. Experts believe that picking up an Asian language such as Japanese, Korean, or Mandarin is the way to go if you plan on doing accounting work abroad.
Finance
While accounting mainly deals with the management of money, finance primarily deals with how money works in society. Having a greater understanding of finance would surely make your job as an accountant easier. Once you begin to grasp the true value of money to humankind as a whole, you’ll realize how important your specific duties as an accountant are to your employer.
English
Accounting jobs don’t often require you to be the best at writing or speaking, but you sure can benefit from having some expertise in the English language. Every type of job requires some level of interaction with other people. Even if accountants never have to stand in front of a crowd to make a speech or produce lengthy technical documents, they still have to communicate with co-workers and the higher-ups on a fairly frequent basis. You should be able to translate the numbers in the spreadsheets into plain English so that everybody else can understand what it all means.
If you plan on getting an accounting degree, you can enhance relevant skills by pairing it with a fitting minor. Computer science, mathematics, foreign language, finance, and English are all very appropriate minors. One area of study might stand out more than another as a good minor for an accounting degree, but honestly, any minor could give you an edge over the competition.
