5 Tips for Kick-Starting Your Bilingual Career - CareerAlley

5 Tips for Kick-Starting Your Bilingual Career - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Deciding on a career path is never an easy choice. When youre a student, and you have a world of possibilities in front of you, its hard to determine what fits you best. On the other hand, even if youve been on the job market for some while now, you might realize one day that you need to make a career shift because the current one doesnt fit your needs anymore. Regardless of the reasons, acquiring new language skills is never a bad idea, especially since theres currently a shortage of bilingual professionals in a variety of industries, such as teaching and health care. Learning a new language takes time, thats for sure. If youre already working, you might feel that you dont have the time and energy needed to invest in developing a new skill. Dont let yourself discouraged! Its vital you act quickly and make the time to improve your language skills. Here are five tips to help you kick-start your bilingual career. Follow a Strict Study Schedule In spite of what you might think, learning a new language doesnt have to take a lot of time. You dont have to study more than an hour a day to become proficient in any language. To make things easy, study first thing in the morning and last thing at night. In the morning, your mind is well rested and can absorb information faster than during the day. Thus, a 30-minute study will be more than enough. Make sure to devote 30 minutes to studying before you go to sleep. That way, you can consolidate the information acquired during the day. Use Any Free Moment to Study As weve mentioned above, more and more companies are looking to hire bilingual speakers, so you need to take advantage of these opportunities and use any spare moment you have to improve your language skills. Listen to audio lessons on your commute to work or during your lunch break. Instead of spending 20 minutes scrolling through Facebook mindlessly, take tests, read a new chapter, or watch a video in the language youre studying. Use Technology to Your Advantage Technology can come to your help when time is of the essence. Mobile applications such as Duolingo or audio recordings can make the process of studying a foreign language easier than ever before. You dont have to take special classes anymore. You have everything you need right at your fingertips. Listen to Music and Watch Foreign Language Films You probably already listen to music and watch movies on your free time. These are enjoyable activities, so why not make them useful too? That way, you wont feel like youre sacrificing your spare time to learn (which you might feel reluctant to do since you dont have as much free time as you would like.) Practice, Practice, Practice You cant acquire new language skills without practicing what you learn. So, take any opportunity you get to talk to native speakers. Use chat rooms and go to places where you know you might find native speakers, such as certain restaurants or marketplaces. No matter how you choose to learn a new language, one thing is certain: it is worth your time because it will bring along many advantages. Not only that it will open new career opportunities, but it can also help you earn more money that people who only speak English. So, stop wasting time. Get to work and kick-start your bilingual career! We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+