I am interested in aerospace engineering as a major, and I wanted to get some insight on whether a minor in Latin would be a wise choice to make. I know I’m never going to run into a Latin-speaking colleague or anything… I am considering Latin as a minor solely because of my passion for the language. (Also at my university, they offer a minor with teaching certification so I could teach Latin with that.) Basically, the question is whether I should choose a minor that is more complementary to aerospace or if I should choose Latin simply because I love studying it and would enjoy any opportunity to teach it someday! Any thoughts?
You should check each college’s requirements. It might be tough at some universities where the Engineering college is completely separate from the Liberal Arts division. Although almost all STEM programs will have some General Education/Liberal Arts distribution requirements, a minor could be logistically difficult due to scheduling. I personally consider foreign language study to be one of the best intellectual disciplines available, and Latin could be a great complement to Engineering because you need to train your mind to see things differently when you work with the language.
The discipline required to learn a language such as Latin will be directly applicable in your aerospace engineering studies. It would be surprising to come across a Latin speaking colleague in any field, however you might find someone who shares an interest in Latin literature or history.
Latin also has the added benefit, especially with the teaching certificate, of offering immediate employment opportunities.
As woogz says, if you can fit it in your schedule, go for it!