Learning Foreign Languages Important for Success in the Future

Tyler Cowen, an economist at George Mason University, has proposed the theory that learning foreign languages will be increasingly important for job-seekers around the world.

Rather than making the usual arguments - that the world is increasingly globalized, that immigration is increasing, that international trade will be more important in the future - Tyler points out that critical thinking, judgment, and empathy are increasingly important skills in a knowledge economy. In a world where these characteristics are highly valuable, the best investment in your education is not technical, but general: learning to learn instead of learning to do something.

And, in addition to dating a foreign person as a way to gain international insight he also recommends travel and learning a foreign language.

Of course, I'm a believer in learning foreign languages, foreign travel, and trying to understand the world from a global perspective, so I'll take any argument I can take along those lines!