Career prospects for language students

Knowing a foreign language is said to open up many opportunities and careers, besides it develops writing, communication and problem solving skills. The most common professions, that involve the use of languages are probably translating, interpreting and teaching, and careers in areas such as business and industry and the media.

However, it is important to remember that being able to speak a language fluently is not enough to get a job. Some professions require vocational post-graduate courses or work experience. Of course if a person is business-oriented, he will succeed in making his way up to the top, as careers in business and industry are usually quite well-paid. The profession of an interpreter is also well-paid, high-status and prestigious. And it is not surprising, without translation, understanding and especially communicating is impossible in our multilingual world.

As for me, as a typical language student I still don't know what to do after college. All I know is that I want to use my language afterwards. The main question is how?

The most important factors for me while choosing a career are: good salary or wages, interesting and varied work, not boring and monotonous work which is useful to society, good working conditions, flexible hours, opportunities to meet people, opportunities to travel long holidays, job security, good career prospects, bossing people, dealing with children, responsibility of my own, working with nice people, getting on with my boss, the chance of promotion …(choose what you need)

That’s why I wouldn't mind working......

• in a travel agency, as I am a kind of person who finds it boring to stay too long in one place. I begin to get itchy feet. And this profession involves travelling, seeing new places, meeting new people. I'm very much into travelling and enjoy taking challenges, besides it would help me to update my knowledge of languages.

• as a teacher, because the feeling of job satisfaction is the greatest in this profession, besides teaching is a very valuable and challenging profession that demands from a teacher complete dedication, love of the subject and lots of enthusiasm. However teaching is regarded in many societies as low status and so is badly paid.

- in advertising

- as a sales manager

- as a personnel manager

- as a journalist

- as a specialist in public relations

- for the Foreign Office/diplomatic service

- in charge of a firm

But I understand that such kind of work requires:

- an incredible responsibility

- a good qualification

- a rich imagination

- an attractive appearance

- a fine sense of humour

- a good memory

- a refined taste

- creativity

- strength of body

- stamina

- a quick mind

- tolerance self-discipline

- self-confidence

- full commitment

- special skills (administrative, managerial, communicative)

- leadership qualities

And as I lack such qualities as.........I'm not sure I'll succeed in this career.

But at the same time I am ...

- a person of great creativity

- a strong-willed person

- a person with positive outlook/ a great deal of charm/a kind heart/literary talent

That's why I am trying to keep up my aspirations, besides I have a desire to learn and succeed, so everything will come out right for me. There are so many options open today, so many alternatives to pick from, so many possibilities from which to choose But you have to ask yourself what is more important to you - job satisfaction or money. It’s perfect when these two are combined but sometimes it doesn't come out like this. Therefore I think that when you are choosing a career you have to have some realistic expectations.

No 30. Formulate your view on family life. Analyze different family patterns. Speculate on ideal one for bringing up children.

Nothing else but the family can be an emotional centre of people’s lives, important chain for bringing up children and moulding a young personality. This process is a difficult one. It requires work, much respect, tolerance. In my opinion in happy families the parents are frank, honest with their children, see eye to eye and back up them in different situations. And ideal parents do it without moralizing, suppressing children’s natural sense of adventure and curiosity. So, the children of good parents learn to encounter problems and difficulties, form relationships among themselves.

The climate of the family greatly depends on the relationships between both parents and children, whether they see eye to eye or are constantly falling out with each other. Psychologists say that character, wishes, interests, qualities and abilities of any person are formed in childhood, because being a child, a person absorb everything like a sponge.

And there is no doubt that a child needs love, care, moral and financial support, friendly and stimulating atmosphere in the family.

When children grow up, an average family faces such problems as misunderstandings between teenagers and their parents. But such problems can be solved through communication. Ideal parents should discuss everything with children and be the real pillar of strength for them. Good parents should be aware that they are not the owners of their children, but at the same time they should avoid excessive permissiveness and shouldn’t encourage rebelliousness as grandparents sometimes do. So, when children are not dominated and ruled by parents, they have great respect for them, look up to them, love and care for them.

This is what concerns an ideal two-parent family. But there are different kinds of family patterns. Earlier the most of them were like that: fathers were breadwinners and mothers looked after their children. But now it is not a usual thing. Almost all women in our country work, as it is an economic necessity. In short, if women didn’t work it would be difficult to feed children, because fathers` salaries are not very big.

Certainly, when both parents work, they have less time to spend with their children and with each other. Often families stop eating their meals together and thereby lose an important time to share the elevens of the day. So, children are cared for in kindergartens, by baby sitters or relatives such as grandparents. But, of course, it won’t be a startling discovery that if parents spend more time with their children, their family would be happier and stronger.

It should be noted that we see the increase in the number of single parent families that are usually headed by a mother. Of course, many divorced men are required by law to support their children, but in most cases a mother still pulls her share of the load.

As you see, a divorce rate increased steadily in our country. Bitter experience of divorce is one of the most stressful events in the life of a child. So, it is on the card, that living with one parent is better for children than living with two parents who can’t stand and even hate the sight of each other.

Thus, while studying some family patterns, you could notice, that the best atmosphere in the family for bringing-up a child is firstly marital bliss and mutual support. Only happy parents can bring up a happy child.

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