Habla Español? Benefits of Being Bilingual

I have recently taken it upon myself to learn Spanish. I have always wished to be fluent in another language, but have never dedicated the time to actually learning it. Sure, I took two years of French in high school, but I remember very little and never put the language to use. With America's Hispanic population steadily increasing, Spanish just seemed like the best language to try and learn.

So why learn another language? There are several reasons, but perhaps the most important are:

• You need something to differentiate yourself
• Creates an opportunity to expand your network
• Creates more job opportunities
  

Having a bachelor's degree today does not create the same opportunities having a bachelor's degree twenty years ago created. It is commonplace to have a college education. It no longer sets you apart from other people. I propose that having international experience and/or being bilingual will set you apart...for now. In the future, I believe that it will be commonplace to be bilingual as well.

Being bilingual allows you to expand your network into other cultures. It enables you to communicate with even more people. Since deciding to learn Spanish, I have become interested in getting to know others who speak Spanish and have begun to create a network in Spanish speaking countries.

Some jobs require that you be bilingual to even qualify for the position. Take two job candidates who graduated from the same university with the same GPA and virtually were all the same academically and had similar work histories. Take those same two candidates and review their resumes. Both appear to be equal on paper except that one speaks another language. Perhaps the candidate who does not would better fit the position, but if an employer had to hire based solely off of the paper resumes, the bilingual candidate would receive the position hands down. Being bilingual differentiated him from the other candidate.

At this point, you are probably asking, "How do I learn another language?"

• Enroll in a language course
• Join a language club
  
• Purchase books and read up
• Download podcasts
• Listen to music, watch movies, etc. in the language you are practicing
• Locate others who speak the language
• Purchase software such as Rosetta Stone
• And many others ways!
  

It will take some time, but I am convinced you will be pleased with the end results. Dedicate time each day to studying the language and use it whenever you can. There are opportunities that come about when you are bilingual that do not arise when you are not. Being bilingual will benefit your overall personal life as well. After all, you will learn a lot about a new culture and will have more experience with diversity.

Can You Hear Me Now? Good!

Verizon, America's largest 3G network, has figured it out. Building a large network will be vital to your business success. It is not always about what you know but rather who you know. Social networks on the web are a great way to meet new people and provide a great channel of communication. It is important to be careful on the web, but these social networks can be of a great benefit when trying to build your network. Start small by making a goal to meet one new person each month that you can stay in contact with and that person could potentially provide you with valuable help/skills in the future. Then once you begin to learn how to network, try meeting a new person every two weeks. Business cards are a great way to swap information with someone and nearly everyone has a business card.

Keep in contact with as many people as you can as often as you can. Remember birthdays, names of children, anything you can about someone because in the future you never know who can be of value to you. It may be that the girl with glasses and stringy hair from the front row in third grade will have a skill set you will need at some point. By keeping in touch with as many people as you can, you create opportunities to enter their network as well. People that are in your network may have a network of people that you could not gain access to without that person. Somebody in your network will know a guy who knows a guy that can help you if you grow your network.

Having a large network will help you obtain employment and start your own business. Use your network often and tap into the networks of others; it may surprise you at what kind of contacts people have. Do not be afraid to ask around or to say hello to strangers. Strike up conversations whenever possible. The more people you have in your network, whether they are currently valuable to your or not, the better. A network grows exponentially. When you add a new person to your network, you are also gaining contacts with people that they know as well. Take every opportunity you have to expand your network and keep in close touch with those that will potentially be of value to you.