Foreign language proficiency

The Korea Herald reported today " Foreign language proficiency becomes increasingly essential."

According to the online reeruiting company Incruit, the number of positions which require mandatory foreign language skills soared 150 percent to 102,600 jobs in the last three years -- foreign language-required positions now comprise about one out of six new job openings.

The demanded languages that grew the most were French, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese, in that order.

Yet the incentives for job seekers, at least in Korea, often don't align with what employers want. A person looking for a job these days benefits from top-quality English language skills far more than French.

Entrance to a respected college requires good English scores, not anything else. And while good English skills qualifies a person for management, good French skills don't really impress anyone.

Plus, contrary to what the headline states, it's "fluency" that employers want, not "proficiency." There is a difference.

Studying Japanese for two years (the requirement at my university) got me "proficient" in Japanese. That was nice as a waiter, but it wasn't enough to get a job with a Japanese company.

The same is true for those who will do business in French or Chinese. Speaking a little of those languages is nice, but a university student is better off getting fluent in English than splitting their efforts among two languages.

That, at least, is my advice.