The Advantages & Disadvantages of doing a Language @ University

I really want to take up a language or maybe combined subject with a language , but i want to know the future advantages of doing so and if there are any disadvantages/or perhaps reasons i shouldn't do a language.
So i was wondering if you guys can give me some advice on this...
Thanks in advance

Reply 1

city_chic

13

Advantages are that language graduates are very appealing to employers, you can go into a range of jobs after doing a language degree, language degrees are usually very flexible and you can choose from a wide range of modules... and that's all I can think of right now.

Disadvantages are that it won't lead to a specific field (although this isn't exactly a bad thing)... hm, not sure about others.

Reply 2

Cunning Linguist

3

I can't even think of any diasadvantages of doing a language degree except, as mentioned above, it isn't a vocational degree which leads to a specific field like optometry, pharmacy, SLT, etc. But that can be seen as a good thing because you've got so much choice afterwards!

The only annoying thing for me personally is that I still don't have a very clear idea of what I want to do after my degree.

Reply 3

city_chic

13

Cunning Linguist

The only annoying thing for me personally is that I still don't have a very clear idea of what I want to do after my degree.

Apart from being a vet, no other job really jumps out for me. If I end up doing languages (more than likely...) my options will be journalism/publishing/law/PR/TEFL... but I don't know if I'd get satisfaction from doing any of these for a long period of time... that's the thing that bothers me.

Reply 4

yas245

OP

hay .. thanx again for the replies but it seems that i'm in the same boat as you 2, its just too hard to pick a profession especially if there are soo many !!

Reply 5

jonnythemoose

15

I doubt any linguist knows what he/she wants to do with their life afterwards. It's what makes us so very very special. :biggrin:

Reply 6

WastingMyThyme

Advantages???

Only about a 4:1 ratio of girls to guys .. providing you're male that is, well actually I suppose that doesn't matter in case you're one of those odd ones :wink:

Reply 7

gaijin

1

....unless you study non-Romantic languages, then its a complete sausage-fest.

But language students apparently do get the nice chicks. Women dig guys who can say nice stuff to them in a foreign language.

Reply 8

yas245

OP

Well .. errm .. has anyone on here chosen languages or know of people that have chosen languages @ University and if so, what their profession is now? ..

Reply 9

city_chic

13

yas245

Well .. errm .. has anyone on here chosen languages or know of people that have chosen languages @ University and if so, what their profession is now? ..

Teaching

Reply 10

Cunning Linguist

3

yas245

Well .. errm .. has anyone on here chosen languages or know of people that have chosen languages @ University and if so, what their profession is now? ..

They have those kind of things in prospectuses - "Susan did French and Spanish here and is now working for X in Y" and they have a whole column on that student.

Reply 11

city_chic

13

Cunning Linguist

They have those kind of things in prospectuses - "Susan did French and Spanish here and is now working for X in Y" and they have a whole column on that student.

From prospectuses I've seen examples of graduates going into PR, teaching and law I believe...

Reply 12

jonnythemoose

15

I'm doing one romance and one non-romance language! Hurray for a mixture! :biggrin:

Reply 13

dismal_laundry

15

Me too...

Reply 14

afua12

15

I'm considering languages ta university, but I am worried that I'll end up just being someone who can speak a few languages...

It's difficult to explain, but if you take a maths student and a language student...
the maths student has done something academic, and then will go into something like accountancy (or w/e)
whereas the language student hasn't actually learnt anything... I know this sounds really wierd, but you've learnt to communicate - now what do you communicate? You haven't learnt anything like a science, or history or anything... just how to communicate it. But you have nothing to communicate!

OK, lol I don't think anyone will understand this... :s-smilie:

Does anyone know what I mean?

ok erm... yeh ok, in Europe learning English is very important, and a significant percente will become fluent in it, so there are A LOT of bilingual (and trilingual etc.) students out there... The thing is, they will also have done their medicine degree, or law degree or w/e....

Language students are just in the position they were when then were 10...

EDIT: (haha, for someone interested in languages... I really don't communicate things very well!!)

Reply 15

garethDT

13

I know exactly what you mean afua12. I used to think the same thing, why bother doing a 4 year degree just to be bilingual when nowadays it's no big deal speaking another language apart from english.

But the way I see it, english people generally have very poor foreign language skills and have a lot of respect for those who can master foreign languages, something most can only dream of.

And compared to other degrees, languages is actually more worthwhile than most in my opinion. You mentioned history, where does a history degree get you? a job in the past?! at least with a language you have a practical skill rather than a pretty pointless knowledge of ancient greek pottery or whatever.

I would say the disadvantage of doing a language at university is that it's hard work, just like A-levels you have to do a lot of work between lessons and you won't cope if you just turn up to the odd lesson and do no work. Some of my friends doing other degrees just turn up to most of the lectures and do a bit of reading in between. with a language it's more intense and your progress is monitored a lot more closely. I know I made the right choice in choosing to do languages though, don't regret it one bit.

Reply 16

discombobulation

2

Hard work!!

People who do other 'arts' degrees don't seem to understand the accumulative nature of a languages degree and so hard work is both advantageous and a disadvantage.

I reckon that language graduates feel like they've really really earnt their degree more than those of other subjects :smile:

Reply 17

gaijin

1

garethDT

I know exactly what you mean afua12. I used to think the same thing, why bother doing a 4 year degree just to be bilingual when nowadays it's no big deal speaking another language apart from english.

But the way I see it, english people generally have very poor foreign language skills and have a lot of respect for those who can master foreign languages, something most can only dream of.

Nihonjiron and other commonly held beliefs mean that if you master a language like Japanese, people automatically assume you are a semi-God because no foreigner can ever manage to speak such a complex language like Japanese.

By their standards you are pretty good, even if you are not. Which you are....

I personally think doing a European language is a huge drain nowadays, purely for the reasons you hinted at. There are far too many piranha on the other side of the tank that can speak far better English than you can Spanish/French/Italian/German/whatever.

And compared to other degrees, languages is actually more worthwhile than most in my opinion. You mentioned history, where does a history degree get you? a job in the past?! at least with a language you have a practical skill rather than a pretty pointless knowledge of ancient greek pottery or whatever.

I do find it amusing that doing a language degree will also automatically give you an insight into that useless ancient history as well as give you a transferable skill. Have. Cake. Will. Eat. It. Now.

I would say the disadvantage of doing a language at university is that it's hard work, just like A-levels you have to do a lot of work between lessons and you won't cope if you just turn up to the odd lesson and do no work. Some of my friends doing other degrees just turn up to most of the lectures and do a bit of reading in between. with a language it's more intense and your progress is monitored a lot more closely. I know I made the right choice in choosing to do languages though, don't regret it one bit.

Aw ****.

Reply 18

gaijin

1

discombobulation

I reckon that language graduates feel like they've really really earnt their degree more than those of other subjects :smile:

I will have this written on my degree, in Japanese and English. Just in case people think most Arts degrees are fancy 4 year degrees with no effort.

One of the lecturers at SOAS once told us that some of the combination courses they have, are so intensive and so much hard-work that the final classification is simply not important - having been able to complete the degree is the most important thing.

But yeah, that mantra is simply the thing that keeps me going. That and Japan. Ah Japan, how I miss thou shores.

Reply 19

LaTortura07

yas245

Well .. errm .. has anyone on here chosen languages or know of people that have chosen languages @ University and if so, what their profession is now? ..

There's a million things you can do with languages. If you're applying for a job, and it says you can speak a foreign language, who do you think has more chance of getting the job..you or the person who can only speak english?

You could go into Teaching, Translating & Interpreting, Business, working for the UN or the EU, you could even work abroad...the list is endless.

The Advantages & Disadvantages of doing a Language @ University

Related discussions

Articles for you