In the second semester of my freshman year of college I went out on a limb and signed up for a French intensive course. As someone who took lots of Spanish classes in high school, I decided I was ready to challenge myself and tackle another language. I immediately fell in love with the French language and I have been taking French classes at school ever since. From this experience I have also learned just how beneficial learning a second language has been in terms of my career goals, and several other College Fashionista community members pitched in and told me how they have benefited too!
Boost Your Resume With Language Classes in College
No matter what your college major is or what your career goals are, a second language can only help make your resume stand out! Knowing a second language is always beneficial to any type of job. For example, this past summer I put French on my applications for nanny positions. It made my resume stand out because I said that I could speak some French with the kids I was working with! Never leave those language classes off your resume, they might come in handy when you least expect it!
Learn Consistency and Perseverance
Practice! Practice! Practice! Learning a language definitely tests your ability to stay consistent and to persevere. College Fashionista community member Hannah Freeman commented on this saying that “the hardest part would be keeping up with the language and making sure you practice often!” However hard it may be though, these skills will last a lifetime and will only benefit you no matter where you want to work in the future. CF community member EnJanae’ Taylor, also commented saying that “I think it made me push myself more and show myself that I am capable of learning another language, it just takes time and effort!”
Learn How to Navigate Uncomfortable or Tricky Situations
When you finally take your language skills to the next level and use them abroad in a foreign country, there are definitely lots of awkward moments. Believe me, I have experienced plenty of these myself! But there is also so much to learn from these experiences. As CF community member Juniper Valeo put it, “when you go into another country and the only way to communicate is through a language that is not your own, it’s incredibly humbling” she says. “It has definitely helped me in my life getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
Take Advantage of Study Abroad Opportunities
Study abroad programs with language requirements might seem intimidating, especially if you don’t have any previous language skills, but I promise you the payoff is totally worth it! As a photography major at Bard college I studied abroad in France my freshman year and it opened up all kinds of opportunities for me in my career. I was able to visit so many museums and also build upon my own photography portfolio. And now, because of the French knowledge that I have acquired, I will be studying abroad at Paris College of Art again this fall semester. Studying abroad in a different language has been one of my favorite undergraduate experiences, and it should definitely not be taken for granted! Juniper also studied abroad in France and said that “living in France was absolutely one of the most beautiful memories of my life.”
Fashion Headquarters Abroad
For many CF community members interested in jobs in the fashion industry after college, major fashion capitals like Paris and Milan are cities filled with dream jobs. Now I adore Netflix’s Emily In Paris, but we all know that the TV show isn’t terribly realistic! Learning languages like French and Italian will definitely help make your fashion resume stand out if you want to work internationally. EnJanae’, a double major in fashion merchandising and journalism, took Italian this past year and reflected on how it might affect her career in the future, “when it comes to my career, it could also be useful because many fashion brands have headquarters in Italy, so if I wanted to visit that way by getting a job then knowing the language would help there as well” she said.
Let me know how your language skills have contributed to your career goals in the comments below! And don’t forget to tag @cfashionista in all your study abroad photos!
Featured photo by @hannahhnicholss
