-You
have a passion for the language and the Hispanic culture.
-You desire to become fully proficient.
-You want to combine travel abroad experiences with academic
study.
-You want to go beyond the surface to really understand
cultural issues pertaining to arts, history, film, business,
politics, religion, and values throughout the Hispanic
world.
-You are looking for a career that is in demand, that
brings you a good salary, and that brings you personal
satisfaction.
What
Can You Do With a Spanish Major?
Maybe
a better question would be, what can't you do with
a Spanish major? Generally speaking, a Spanish major improves
your career prospects, makes you a better citizen of today's
global society, and brings you a lifetime of personal
pleasure.
Career
prospects
The
skills with language, cultural sensitivity, and analytical
thinking that you develop in a Spanish major are very
much in demand in practically every career! Here's a look
at just a few of those options.
-Business
-- Let's face it: there's no such thing as non-international
business anymore. That's not a future prospect; it's today's
reality. On every level, from corporate to local, business
people are interacting with people from around the globe.
In some jobs, you will travel to other countries; in other
cases, citizens of other countries will come to you. But
in today's global society, you can count on needing strong
language and cultural skills to interact successfully
with people from cultures very different from your own.
Many of those people will be from Spanish-speaking backgrounds.
As a result, a Spanish major (ideally in combination with
some sort of business major) will make you very attractive
to a potential employer. What's more, starting salaries
for those who are Spanish-proficient are higher than the
salaries for English-only candidates. Talk with the recruiters
on Career Night, and you'll see that those students with
strong language skills jump to the top of their list.
-Government
-- Many students forget that governments (federal, state,
and local) are excellent sources of jobs. The national
government has a terrific web site, that you should know about. You probably don't
know about the vast number of government offices, many
of which are international in their focus (even the ones
that are located here in the US). For example, do you
know about the NAFTA office? The international side of
the Commerce Department? Medical teams sent abroad? International
law enforcement? Look at this site with the goal of learning
more about the kind of jobs available, the skills needed
for them, and even student internships. State and local
governments have similar web sites, where you'll find
that Spanish skills are indeed in demand.
-Law
and law enforcement -- Suppose that you would like to
be a lawyer specializing in personal injury. Then you
need to speak Spanish! Or maybe you would like to work
for the FBI; you need to speak Spanish! And of course,
there are obvious aspects of law that require strong Spanish
skills; international commerce; immigration; territorial
limits; customs and border issues, etc. If you'd like
to know more about legal careers, take a look at the web
site for the American Bar Association. For more about
criminal justice, talk with the professors here at TCU.
-Health
care -- Health care professionals in every area need to
speak Spanish. Among your patients or clients there will
be some who are Spanish-speaking only, but most will have
some or very good English. However, someone who is ill,
injured, or under stress, may lose their nonnative language.
And even if they are still able to speak English, it is
very comforting to be able to speak their native language
with their health care professional. TCU offers a course
in Spanish for Health Care Professionals and offers study
abroad experiences that focus on health care.
Nursing
students may not be able to major in Spanish because of
scheduling conflicts with clinicals and seminars at odd
hours. However, they can go beyond the minimum requirements
for a minor and they can participate in summer study abroad
programs especially designed for nurses. Spanish-proficient
nurses start at a higher salary than English-only nurses.
Premed
students: medical schools give priority in admission decisions
to those who speak Spanish. Need we say more?
For
information about other careers -- in the sciences, arts,
social sciences, or education -- talk with your advisors
in the Spanish department, those in your department, and
in Career Services.
Citizenship
in a Global Society
In
this post-9/11 world, it is clear that we cannot afford
to ignore the viewpoints of other cultures. Not everyone
shares the US's ideas about politics, economics, religion,
science, and the arts. If you can read Spanish language
newspapers and magazines, if you can understand Spanish
language media and speakers, then you will be faced with
very different beliefs and behaviors. If, for example,
you think there is only one viewpoint about immigration
to the US, then you don't really know the subject! Do
you know what NAFTA and CAFTA are and what their roles
are in your daily life? And why is Osama Bin Laden so
bitter about Spain? As a citizen today, it's not enough
to know the US; you must keep yourself informed about
what the world is thinking.
Did
you know that about 10% of the world's Spanish-speaking
population lives in the US? That's about 40 million speakers!
Did you know that every voting district in all 50 states
has people of Hispanic heritage? Did you know that, if
Los Angeles were in Mexico, it would be the second-largest
Mexican city? Did you know that there are more Puerto
Ricans in New York City than in San Juan? In 2003 the
US Census Bureau declared Hispanics to be the largest
minority group in the US. These are just a few of the
facts that add up to this observation: if you want to
be a good citizen of the US, then you should know Spanish
and the cultural heritage of the Spanish-speaking world.
In practical terms, if you want to get acquainted with
your neighbors, conduct business, or provide a service
in your community, then you should know Spanish and the
cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. Indeed, it is
increasingly problematic to call Spanish a "foreign"
language.
A
Lifetime of Personal Pleasure
How
does spending your vacations in Spanish-speaking countries
sound to you? Imagine yourself exploring Maya culture,
skiing in the Andes, walking the sky bridge through the
jungle canopy in Costa Rica, tasting wines in Chile, hanging
out at the beach on a Caribbean Island, making the tapas
rounds in Sevilla, and climbing Macchu Picchu in Peru.
All these fantastic experiences are available to you in
the Spanish-speaking world, and knowing the language just
makes the experiences even richer and more satisfying.
And
don't forget the wonderful literature and film of Spain
and Hispanic America. While some people sit at night watching
reruns on TV, you could be reading the newest bestseller
from Mexico or Spain, poetry from Cuba or Venezuela, or
short stories from Argentina or Colombia. If you know
Spanish, you will know what the film subtitles leave out!
And even if you want to spend your evenings watching TV,
you shouldn't forget the Spanish-language channels.
