I'm a writer. I majored in journalism. But you know what my favorite college class was? Not News Editing, Photojournalism, or Digital Imaging (although those were great classes). My favorite class was Criminal Law—incredibly challenging, but still my favorite. Elements of mens rea  and cases like Robinson v. California  and that of Kitty Genovese  had me fascinated.

If you're surprised a journalism major took that class, then a large chunk of my college transcript might catch you off guard. Classes like Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, and Prisons & Penology, to name a few.

Actually, I graduated with a minor in criminal justice —kind of by accident.

As I progressed through my general college requirements, I needed to fill a Social Science  requirement. The answer: Introduction to Criminal Justice. Midway through the semester, I knew I was hooked. So, I started to consider a minor in criminal justice. However, you don't pick a minor  "just because." I looked at how it would work as a companion to my journalism major and plans for my future. At the time, I was seriously considering two options: a career in news reporting or law school. And criminal justice could benefit both.

To graduate I needed a certain number of upper-level credits outside of my major. I chose from the criminal justice class listing , and I solidified my decision to minor in criminal justice. Mostly because I figured it'd be a smarter investment than taking random classes to earn the credits I needed to graduate—which many of my classmates did.

Check out these reasons why your minor matters . What about you? How did you choose your minor … or didn't you? Was/is it worth your money?