Learning German was one of the best decisions of my life. Also, I would say that my German studies at ISU were actually better than Middlebury College, where I finished my Masters in German in 1995. After my graduate studies, I worked professionally in Hamburg (Als Exportleiter bei einem Handelsunternehmen) for three years and then Warsaw and Krakow for four years. To make a long story short, the ISU German section provided me with the foundation I needed to excel in German. I am very thankful for that.
From 2004 to 2008, I worked as Business Development Manager with a company by the name of cm4all.com. It is a German software company based in Cologne, Germany. I was responsible (by developing customer base) for their market entry into North America.
Students/parents/people shouldn’t need to be convinced of the benefits of learning a foreign language. The world has shrunk. The world is more and more interconnected (through economics, politics, environment, finance, etc.).
I have worked for some pretty good companies because my German language skills separated me from other people. Just being smart or having a business degree isn’t a differentiator any longer.
In addition to being able to speak a foreign language, I learned that it is extremely important to understand local cultural nuances (whether in business or in social settings). For example, in Germany, when you make a statement it is important to be able to defend it with facts or a reasonable argument. If not, they will think you are a dunce. Take a guess if I ever made that mistake – several times, but I learned.