Who is interested in learning Spanish as a second language?  People in the United States are realizing the value of speaking Spanish as more and more people immigrate to the US from Spanish speaking countries.  Also, Spanish is the second most popular foreign language to study in Europe, after English.  It makes sense from a logical standpoint because even though it is hard to say for sure, Spanish may have even more native speakers than English does.  Does this mean you should learn and study Spanish because everyone else is doing it?  As someone who personally learned Spanish as a second language, I have a few other reasons for you to consider seriously studying Spanish.

Career opportunities: Since I started studying Spanish eight years ago, most of my jobs came my way because of my Spanish speaking abilities.  In the United States, the Spanish speaking population is so huge that any ability to communicate with this demographic will make you an extremely valuable asset to any company.  Plenty of businesses have Spanish speaking clients who they have difficulty understanding, and loads of other companies are looking for ways to tap into the Hispanic community.  If you can offer help in either of these areas, a whole new world of opportunities will be open to you.

Travel: Who doesn’t want to travel?  I suppose there are a few fuddy duddy people who would rather just stay home.  But most people I know have a goal of traveling and seeing the world.  There are 21 countries in the world who claim Spanish as the national language.  With even an elementary ability to speak Spanish when you visit these countries your travel experience will be so much more enjoyable.  You will be able to communicate with taxi cab drivers, ask directions if you get lost, and work out logistics with your travel arrangements much more easily.  Beyond that, you will also have the ability to talk with the locals and get the inside scoop on what to see and do in the area that you are visiting.  When you are a tourist, making an effort to speak the native language of the country you are touring always makes a great impression.  You may find that you get some great tips, perks and even some free stuff if you practice your Spanish skills while you travel.

Communicating with your neighbors: Spanish is such a popular language that you will invariably run into Spanish speakers no matter where you are living.  Being able to communicate with your neighbors and acquaintances is a fulfilling and enriching experience.  Also, it has a lot of practical application.  Imagine if there is an emergency or problem between a Spanish speaker and an English speaker and they can’t communicate because of a language barrier.  If you speak Spanish you will be able to step in and help solve the problem.  I had an experience when I was working for Starbucks where a crew of workmen that only spoke Spanish were doing some work on the water lines outside our store.  One of the crew came into the store to try to explain to my manager that we might get the water turned off in our store for a minute while they were working.  He only spoke Spanish and my manager had no idea what he was talking about.  I was able to intercede and interpret between the two of them so that everyone understood what was going on.  It is an incredibly fulfilling feeling to be able to help people talk to each other, even about mundane concerns.

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