Language as the Gatekeeper

I am centuries late in saying this, but it bears repeating. Language is the gatekeeper to success in (almost) everything. I just finished speaking to someone who works here where I live. He has recently finished up in a program that improved his English, but what struck him was how many intelligent people he met while he was there. These are people who could do math like nobody's business, but because they are here in the United States, their opportunities in the business world had been limited by their English language skills.

English, at least as an academic field, is rather the whipping boy of students. After all, who needs to read Shakespeare to prepare for a job as a CPA? Try being a CPA who can't communicate effectively with clients, though. True, in that case Shakespeare (or any other writer) may be along for the ride in courses, but the simple fact is that without the language skills that come from dedicated work in English classes—without the ability to communicate at a high level with the people who make things happen in a chosen field—people cannot progress to the upper reaches. It's true, a CPA who routinely makes mistakes will quickly find out what a job search is like with no references, but when all else is equal, a better communicator will move up. Sometimes, better communicators will surpass people who have poorer communication skills but who are more talented in the field.

I've heard it all: "English degrees are for people who couldn't find real majors" is one of the more popular mantras. Never mind that more people get accepted to American law schools with English degrees than with any other degrees. Never mind that people with English degrees find their ways into advertising, publishing, education, and numerous other fields, often matching or passing people who have been trained in those fields. But this is not to say that the English degree is the best one out there. It's not. It's just one that leads to an incredible range of possibilities. Why? Because people who hold those degrees know how to communicate (even if some of us never learned to type).

Take it seriously, folks. Every one of the sites to which I have provided links is written by someone (or by multiple people, in a couple cases) who knows how to put it together. Now, if only I had been the one to start that conversation downstairs. He'll go far, that one. He knows the value of the word.