Start Taking Chinese Now
Did you watch the Beijing Olympics this summer? I did. And in case you weren’t paying enough attention, let me just say that – Holy Shit – there are a lot of Chinese people, and they are getting rich faster than Usain Bolt sprints and Michael Phelps swims. This brings me to today’s lesson: Start taking Chinese now.
Listen to me; it is an inevitable fact that China is going to replace the United States as the world’s economic superpower in your lifetime. Sure, we’ll probably still be here as a country, but they’re going to be the ones who control the world’s purse strings. When that day comes, how will you fit into the world economy? That’s a question I can’t positively answer, but I’d bet you all the money in my checking account (which may not be a whole lot of money – but there’s at least enough in there to buy a year’s supply of Ramen noodles) that those of us who speak Chinese will have job security for life.
Already in certain districts in Texas, high school teachers who speak Spanish make $15,000 a year more in starting salary than those who only speak English. Picture the same scenario, and multiply it by a factor of 1.3 billion. Are you starting to see what I’m talking about? If you are, that’s good. Now take this advice: Your degree program includes a certain number of elective hours that you must fill in order to graduate with a degree in Biology or Architecture or English; use those electives on Chinese. I realize it won’t be as fun as Bowling or Badminton (By the way – how good is China at those weird racquet sports? Almost as good as they are at diving), but I’ll tell you something that’s more fun than bowling. Being rich.
Joe Webb teaches American literature at Saint Louis University, where he spends equal time discussing Entourage and Leaves of Grass. His book, Dr. Wizard’s Advice for College Students, is scheduled for national release in the fall of 2009, and will include lessons on everything from Greek Life to Greek literature. For more of Dr. Wizard’s Advice, check out www.dr-wizard.com.
Tags: beijing olympics, chinese language class, financial superpower, rich college students
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