Tonight was South's National German Honor Society ceremony. All of the students there talked about why they decided to take German and why younger students should too. Well, I've decided on one very palpable reason to take German. It makes you rich. Yes, of course there's the rich culture and history and people, but I mean like $₤€¥ rich. And if I've found anything out in my life, it's that money speaks louder than words, so here are the ways that German can transform your bank account from a wad of cash in your mattress to one you'd consider transferring to Switzerland.
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| The National German Honor Society ceremony this evening was ausgezeitnet. |
1. High Demand Language Individuals who learn German are proven to earn higher incomes than those who learn Spanish as their second language according to a study published in The Economist. It's not related to the number of places you can speak it (Spanish is the official language of 20 countries whereas German is only in six) but rather supply and demand. Since Germany is an economic powerhouse with an open economy, it's the ideal business opportunity for an American to get in on.
2. Competitive Edge In the U.S. only about 25% of Americans say they can speak a foreign language. In a competitive job market, any edge you have on the other candidates is valuable, especially when looking at the foreign service or positions that require interacting with colleagues abroad.
3. Language of Science Other than English, German is the key language when it comes to biology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and vehicle manufacturing. In the U.S. people are impressed when you say you're going to be an engineer or another science field because success (monetarily and otherwise) is connected to these fields. German allows you to be successful in even more economies.
4. Eastern Europe Countries like Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and the Czech Republic are developing markets in Europe. German plays a larger role in most of these countries than English because of German economic growth within the EU as well as German speakers' influence on local tourism.
5. Nobel Prize Winners German speakers have won in many categories: 30 for chemistry, 25 for medicine, 21 for physics, 10 for literature, and 8 for peace. The below chart also illustrates the German-speaking countries' appreciation for chocolate.
