Should i take language in college

Learning a language means learning a skill that can last a lifetime. If you stay in practice, the language you learn in college can significantly affect your life, including where you travel, how you interact with people and even what Netflix shows you binge. Selecting the right language can increase your motivation and your capacity to learn the language. Choosing a language you like and actually want to learn will make it easier to keep pushing forward.

What language you choose can affect your career path. This is because your motivation can directly affect what language is best for you. Here are a few key questions to consider.

You can rely on FluentU to make your college language learning experience anything but dull. FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. At some universities, less common language options may be delivered online.

While this is valid, it might not be the best value since you can often find affordably priced online learning options like private tutoring. How often and in what contexts do you plan to use the language? This can shape both what language you select and how long you should study that language. If so, you might select a language with close relatives in order to make learning easier.

For instance, Romance languages like French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish have enough in common that learning one will help you learn others. For instance, less common languages might stand out more, while more common languages are more widely applicable.

Arabic is an in-demand language that can open up many doors. One obvious reason to study Arabic is the fact that Arabic is widely spoken. World language resource Ethnologue estimates that Arabic is the fourth most common first language in the world, with an estimated million speakers. Plus, Arabic is in hot demand with government jobs in security and defense. Wondering why you should learn Chinese?

Well, there are nearly 1. And all of this means buying power. The Chinese economy is huge. Knowing another language exponentially broadens the range of potential career paths you can follow—in everything from the tech sector, law enforcement, business, engineering, health care, national security, finance, sports and beyond. The U. Military, U. Department of State, U. Department of Homeland Security, and agencies such as the CIA, FBI, and NSA all have a huge demand for language skills, with many offering scholarships for language students who want to pursue a career in government.

While clearly a myth that teaching is among the few career choices open to language students, it remains an excellent option for those with an interest in and talent for languages and shaping young lives. With 44 states and the District of Columbia citing language teacher shortages, educators are in urgent demand and many districts are offering impressive hiring incentives. Why wait for graduation to take the world by storm? The study and intern abroad destinations—and associated scholarships —open to students with language skills vastly outnumber English-only programs.

Language students are in a position to take advantage of any and all opportunities as they arise: The world is their oyster! Despite the big and unmet demand for language skills, only a small percentage of U. As relationships with countries grow, so does the need to speak a foreign language.

We have an enhanced need for an enlightened citizenship that is both culturally and linguistically prepared to function in today's world. Degrees Events Conferences on the Americas. Modern Language Day. Language Labs. Academic Engagement. Faculty Development Funding Request. Twenty-five Reasons to Study Foreign Languages Foreign language study creates more positive attitudes and less prejudice toward people who are different.

Studying a foreign language will improve your chances of getting a job.