What you need to know before studying a modern languages degree

Hello,

I currently study Modern Languages, and I want to give any prospective ML applicants some insight into the degree before they apply.

I study at Durham, and to be honest, I'm not too keen on the degree. I love learning languages. I speak three language fluently, and am learning a few others to a lesser degree. I chose to study ML because of my passion for languages. I know that in a time where we're more connected than ever, learning a language is super important. However, I'd like to summarise my main point in this one sentence: major in something applicable to the real world, minor in something you like. That is, study something that opens up your career prospects, and take extra credits in what you love. I wish I had chosen Compsci or done linguistics at another university, as what I'm hoping to go into is a mix of both. This is the content of a generic BA in ML:

You see, what you learn in culture modules will not directly apply to the real world, unless you are set on becoming an academic in language studies. As enjoyable as it may be (e.g. I loved reading Flaubert's works), it's not going to teach you skills in the workplace or make you more employable. It's purely academic and not in any way related to the real world. That's the hard truth! It'd be better to do a course like:

As such, you'll have a really employable skill, and you'll be in a better boat than I'll be at the end of my degree. For me, the way to combat this was to do internships in new fields. I'm currently interning at an NLP company, and that's where my newfound interest in Compsci has come from.

On another note, your language classes will generally be short, and you'll be left to your own devices. Furthermore, there are lots of people who cannot speak the language well, and it may hinder your progress if you're always around people who cannot speak the language as well as you.

That's what I've got to say for now. Please be mindful before studying anything. Here's a breakdown of the costs:

Yearly tuition: £9,250
Maintenance loan: £3,158
Length of BA: 3 years
Total minimum debt to repay (without interest): £37,224
That's a chonky loan. Think before you study!

It's sad to see Durham doesn't teach the critical analysis required to understand the concept of "transferable skills". Also any trained monkey can write some code which is why CS degrees have had some of the worst grad prospects for the last 10 years (to the point that the government had to commission two inquiries into it).

If you can't connect the skills you're developing to the real world that is a personal, not institutional, failing. Likewise if you failed to get relevant work experience and did not actively make yourself employable during your studies that is on you - and at the end of the day if you leave university with nothing more than a piece of paper saying "bachelor's" on it you aren't very employable regardless of whether said piece of paper was for CS or languages or something else.

Hello,

I currently study Modern Languages, and I want to give any prospective ML applicants some insight into the degree before they apply.

I study at Durham, and to be honest, I'm not too keen on the degree. I love learning languages. I speak three language fluently, and am learning a few others to a lesser degree. I chose to study ML because of my passion for languages. I know that in a time where we're more connected than ever, learning a language is super important. However, I'd like to summarise my main point in this one sentence: major in something applicable to the real world, minor in something you like. That is, study something that opens up your career prospects, and take extra credits in what you love. I wish I had chosen Compsci or done linguistics at another university, as what I'm hoping to go into is a mix of both. This is the content of a generic BA in ML:

You see, what you learn in culture modules will not directly apply to the real world, unless you are set on becoming an academic in language studies. As enjoyable as it may be (e.g. I loved reading Flaubert's works), it's not going to teach you skills in the workplace or make you more employable. It's purely academic and not in any way related to the real world. That's the hard truth! It'd be better to do a course like:

As such, you'll have a really employable skill, and you'll be in a better boat than I'll be at the end of my degree. For me, the way to combat this was to do internships in new fields. I'm currently interning at an NLP company, and that's where my newfound interest in Compsci has come from.

On another note, your language classes will generally be short, and you'll be left to your own devices. Furthermore, there are lots of people who cannot speak the language well, and it may hinder your progress if you're always around people who cannot speak the language as well as you.

That's what I've got to say for now. Please be mindful before studying anything. Here's a breakdown of the costs:

Yearly tuition: £9,250
Maintenance loan: £3,158
Length of BA: 3 years
Total minimum debt to repay (without interest): £37,224
That's a chonky loan. Think before you study!

I'm afraid studying queer lesbian theory doesn't make you employable, unfortunately. It's a shame you don't understand that a monkey cannot code or do a CS degree, and that you'd think to compare modern languages to CS. University is meant to make you employable. That's the whole point of studying statistics, mechanics, engineering, psychology etc. Unless you want a job solely in language-related jobs, like teaching, translation, interpreting or jobs at embassies, or go further afield into NLP or international relations, you shouldn't just do this degree willy nilly.