It’s three o’clock in the morning on an uneventful Monday and I just finished typing this article.
Why?
Because I recently read a comment on the internet and felt the immediate urge to organize my thoughts on a pressing matter.
The comment said:
Americans seem obsessed with making money… it also explains the general lack of sophistication among Americans regarding non-lucrative subjects such as math, history, arts, culture… etc. In the US, the question of how this or that education will lead to more money is raised constantly. I suspect it won’t be long before the subjects above are simply cut from high school curricula.
As a young American interested in languages, this passage struck a chord for me.
A few years back my high school experienced budget cuts and tried to axe the French program to save money.
The same French program that set me up for a degree in a 4-year Bachelors of Science degree in French. The same French program that opened my eyes to French culture, history, music, and the arts. The same French program that helped me gain confidence to make countless French friends and reconcile long-lost family relationships.
Yes. That French program.
After a brief pause, emotions started to whirl within.
Luckily, the program was saved by a couple vocal students who signed petitions, wrote letters, and attended the school board meeting. Their personal stories about French’s impact deterred the cuts.
But this original comment made me wonder. Throughout my time in college or even in high school, I was questioned a lot about my intentions to learn French. Close friends, neighbors, and fellow classmates all wondered why I bothered learning French.
To them, it was always about money, money, and more money.
They’d ask me questions like:
“Why are you learning French.. everybody in the United States is speaking Spanish. Jobs want Spanish skills.”
My desire to learn French far exceeds my desire to learn Spanish. Do you want to spend 10+ years learning something you’re not interested in? Maybe this is why so many people drop out of language courses!
“Wow, you made FrenchCrazy.com… it looks neat. HOW MUCH MONEY DOES IT MAKE YOU??“
Riiigghht, because the only reason I made this site was to become filthy rich?
“Well aren’t you trying to become a doctor… how is French relevant to medicine?”
Understanding patients from different backgrounds and learning at a rapid pace are vital to any medical professional. Both medicine and French are foreign languages to the average American. I already became fluent in one so I’m now ready for the other, and I honed my people-skills while living abroad!
“Cool, you’re fluent in French! So, you’re French… right?”
Because the only reason to learn French is if you’re French, I guess.
Questions like these have become the bane for people who are actually interested in learning a language.
Learning French Isn’t Mutually Exclusive
In statistics you learn about the concept of mutual exclusivity. For those of you who don’t know, it means that if event A occurs then event B cannot happen. If you flip a 2-sided coin, the outcome will be either heads or tails – never both.
People treat French-learning as a mutually exclusive event in life. If you’re learning French then you’re just wasting your time! You should be studying those medical textbooks. You should be out there working a part-time job! You should be learning Spanish, not French.
What if I told you that I did all of those things and more. I learned French over time and it rarely interfered with my day-to-day tasks.
While my peers were playing video games, dropping out of school, or working meaningless part-time jobs, I was interning in Paris over the summer or studying French abroad.
I had an exchange with an older gentleman and it went like this:
– So I see here you took a lot of French classes.
Yes, French was my 2nd major. I’m fluent in French. I have family in France.
– Oh, so you took the classes for the “EASY A” I see.
No…. the French classes helped me become fluent in French! I also managed to live in France and adapt to novel situations.
– Hummm [disappointment].
He encompassed a mindset similar to the other nay-sayers.
He never had to stand in front of people and give presentations in a foreign language. He never had to use his French skills to beg for money in the Parisian metro system so he could get back to his uncle’s house. He never got to experience meeting complete strangers and learning their life story over a glass – only for them to share a bed with you for the evening.
Wanna know some other random things I spend hours on which confer no financial benefit to me?
Exercise & Sports
I go to the gym on a frequent basis. I also used to run 10-20 miles a day for fun (with a monthly PR of 237 miles during May 2015). My exercise craving hasn’t earned me any money, in fact, it costs me the price of a gym membership, fresh food, and the latest sportswear. But I believe that a good body is the best fashion statement and exercise is a great stress-reliever.
Well since I’m not going to earn millions as a pro-athlete, the nay-sayers would say, “Why bother! Show me the money!”
Music
Since 2002 I’ve played about five instruments. My school district is the only one in the area that offered a robust music program (chorus, orchestra, band, marching band, jazz band, chamber orchestra, etc…). Not only did I do 7 years of orchestra in school – I continued in college. To this day I write my own orchestra music and have a deep-loving appreciation for all things music. I’m such a nerd that I can listen to a pop song and guess the key signature or guesstimate the beats per minute. I analyze the major and minor chords and identify the specific intervals within a melody.
I cannot ever imagine a world where music wasn’t a facet of my life, but those nay-sayers who only care about money might overlook picking up an instrument.
Cooking
I enjoy cooking primarily because I can avoid eating copious amounts of fast food. I make a few dishes well enough that my parents ask me to apron-up when we have company over. Just because I can handle the heat of a kitchen doesn’t mean I’m destined to be the next top chef.
—
Just those three activities alone show why I hate the whole money-making premise behind learning. Different disciplines give me a better general appreciation of the world. Somebody who loves painting, technology, hunting, or the inner-workings of economics will find meaning from those pursuits.
So is Learning French just a Hobby?
Yes and no, it depends.
Rather than mindlessly scrolling through Facebook or watching series after series on Netflix, I’d prefer to brush up my French. Atleast bilingualism has shown neurological benefits.
I know a few people who managed to use their French skills to position better paying jobs or secure competitive spots in graduate schools.
To them, French has helped them succeed professionally and has helped them mold their personal lives.
So where does that leave everybody else?
A hobby became an activity that is practiced regularly and usually with some worthwhile purpose. Hobbies are usually, but not always, practiced primarily for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward.
And you know what? If you enjoy learning French or if you have a deep-seated desire to learn it, don’t let some label hold you back.
Hobby?
Hobby.
Hobby!!
Despite tutoring French and teaching English in France – my heart was set on studying medicine. I was recently accepted into a Physicians Assistant program where I’ll earn my masters degree. Notice how there’s no obvious link between the two fields?
Well on the surface French and medicine might seem unrelated. But in reality, my experiences abroad and my French skills shaped me into who I am today.
I found French to be useful in my life. I can’t put a price on the countless people I’ve met and the various new experiences I’ve encountered. The French language and my travels abroad have forever shaped me and you won’t experience the journey unless you follow your heart and take that plunge.
Being bilingual is more than just a hobby to me. It’s a part of who I am.
Ultimately, that’s the fortunate story about learning a language.
—
John Elkhoury
B.S. in Neuroscience (2014); B.S. in Applied French (2014) & a minor in Linguistics
The Pennsylvania State University
I have loved French since I was first introduced to it, which was in Grade 7, if I recall correctly. Language courses were not very good back then (I’m 69 now). I never had the opportunity to really live French to learn it like a native. I’m on holiday in France now and love the way my brain can sort of fall into French mode! I also love the way of life here. Most people seem to understand that there is more to life than making money. There is food, wine, chatting with friends and admiring your surroundings!
About education! I taught high school for 30 years. In my opinion, the general education system should be to create thinking adults, not contented little workers. What you describe here is your journey to become an adult human being. That includes an awareness of history, the arts and the communities and world we live in.
Hurray for all you language learners out there! You are the future, I believe. But you might have to wrest control away from the MBAs…
If they say ” The job is required Spanish skills” remember that
Ayudar = Aider
Buenas Noches = bonne nuit
País = pays
Nadar= Natation
Cómo = comme
And many more
So , if they say like that , they are stupid!
Bon courage !
So so relatable. I’ve been through the same things. “So, you’re French?” No. “So, you want to be a translator?” No. However, I find that when I explain to people that I study French because I value learning, they come to grasp that concept. Americans are so cut off from other cultures, language gives us the opportunity to understand. I’ve learned so much from my French speaking amis.
Yeah, the first question I always get is “so you’re French??” every time. I usually respond with, “I have family living in France, but I’m American.”
Then in that instant, I become a freak in their eyes haha.
Lol. I am learning french to improve employment prospects (canada) but I agree with what you have written.
And furthur. Often people forget, cooking IS cheeper than fast food. Learning a languadge (any) does speed up the learning process for future languadges.
Playing music improves comprehension as well as awareness.
These skills save money.
The arts saves you money. Which helps you spend more and make more money.
Good post—I love history, art, and music; I play piano and I’m learning French. I’m a loner learning French so it’s hard to “teach myself”, even with resources, but I really want to learn it, so I’m going to keep on! Everyone I know that’s learning a new language is learning Spanish =)
I have a lot of hobbies that don’t earn me money (in fact, most times cost me!) but I love them way too much to drop any. Which is fine–I think it’d be better to be poor with hobbies you love than get stuck doing something you don’t just to be rich!
Thanks for this encouragement =)
Megan @ http://www.blingelegance.wordpress.com
Merci pour cette article. Je suis américain aussi et pour un longtemps j’avais un intérêt pour les langues étrangères et les cultures de monde. Mon français.c’est pas parfait mais c’est une vrai passion pour moi. Pas besoin de l’argent quand vous avez quelques chose que est vraiment agréable. Je veux apprendre allemand, espagnole, et le japonais aussi.
Je n’aurais pas dit mieux John! Et ce sont des articles comme le tien qui nous confortent dans notre choix d’enseigner, meme si les effectifs reduisent au detriment d’une langue plus rentable.
I’m French and here, in France, we have exactly the same problems, we must face exactly the same question when we want to learn latin and ancient greek… According to the nay-sayers, there is no use to learn those languages (even though it is proven to be useful indeed), it isn’t interesting (come on, 2 000+ years of litterature, culture, history, how is that NOT interesting ?) or money-making (even though it has been my carreer plan since I was 12).
Wa always have to justify ourselves, prove that we are good members of society, as a teacher I have to always prove that students enjoy every hour they have with me, that it is fun, that it gives them extra credits for exams, that they have good grades, that it helps them in French, in history, in geography… That i’m useful for other purposes…
Learning is a beautiful process, I never learned something that I was not happy to know afterwards. Everything we learn, we MAKE it useful in our lives. The more we learn, the more we understand about our worlds, the more alive we get, that’s as simple as that. Money is not everything, life is about being happy first.
Merci pour ce beau message que vous avez écrit, il remonte vraiment le moral !
Thank you for sharing this. It is sad the way some people judge others for learning French. You are very talented :)
Aw shucks, thanks Kelly. I think people lose sight that learning a language is more than words on a sheet of paper. It’s about the people you communicate with… there’s such a human element behind it all.
When money is your sole focus in life, you seem to actually miss out on living.
And to be honest, I don’t think many people judged me per-say… rather they thought that they had MY best interest at heart. How can you blame them? If you rarely travel or want to try new things then learning French seems pointless. This entire site tries to demonstrate the contrary.