Interview

When did you know that you wanted to major in Spanish? -"My junior year of high school. It was the one subject that I was really good at and it just felt useful to me. Sometimes it's hard to know how some of the subjects in school will help you. With Spanish it seems more obvious." How is it so far? As far as classes go? -"Its good, I like my professor. 200 classes are super easy, 300 classes are more intimidating with older kids. Especially when you start getting to the upper level spanish classes, the work load really increases." What is the best part? -"My teacher. I have really realized how important having a good teacher is. I liked spanish before but my professor has made me fall in love with it, despite the work." What is the worst part? -"Being intimidated by older kids or fluent speakers...it makes it more daunting to speak up in class." What do you hope to do with your major? -"Do something useful, that will make it applicable. And something that it would be good to know another language. Like business, I think I'll be able to use it there." What should I know before going into a major in Spanish? -"If you’re not doing it to be a teacher or something, you might have to double it because it seems like other than teaching, it is hard to find a real job that you can make a living doing." Are you more comfortable speaking with fluent people now? -"Yes and no, sometimes they talk too fast, but usually it’s ok if it’s a teacher. It depends on who it is. Also sometimes the accents can throw me off because there are so many different ones."



Interview with Laurie Phenix: Stepmom, majored in french, travelled extensively -- 7:00 PM, Saturday January 24. via e mail. What are some of my options as far as international studies goes? There are lots of government jobs that are available. I think you can also look at non profit organizations like Unicef. Of course, there are always college/university positions which welcome visiting instructors. In these days of a shrinking world, I would think most international companies would welcome an international studies major.

Tying the environment into that? ^^(you may not know) Maybe one of the nonprofits would deal with environmental issues???

How did you get started? I wanted to learn a second language and figured I could wrap a language around some sort of “other” degree. I thought about getting a Masters in International Business Administration, but I decided that I didn’t want to do that because I really wasn’t interested in it. As far as traveling goes, was it hard to figure out all the logistics? Not really. I love traveling and liked planning any trips abroad. That was the fun part!

What was your favorite part about your working in another country? Getting to know the people better. I worked with a software company in Germany and there was always tension with some of the developers. That is, until I went to Germany to work…. I met the developers and we got along quite well. I understood some of their frustrations with us in the US and was able to talk to them and understand their points of view.

What is something you wish you had known before traveling/working in another country? I wish I had done more research into the customs of the country. Even if you speak the language there are a lot of things you need to know before you go to work abroad, especially in a business environment. There are things you do and things you don’t do and you can really make a bad impression unless you are informed. When did you first know that you wanted to travel? When I was in high school. My French teacher told wonderful stories about France and I decided that I wanted to go there some day. It was awful difficult for me to make it over there (mostly financially), but I found a way and traveled to 11 countries when I was in Europe the first time. Was your travel experience beneficial to you in getting a job when you returned? Nope. But I didn’t really try to get a job in my field. After I got my first “real” job, I found that people were interested in my travel experiences, but I don’t think it helped me to get the job. Did it make you change your mind about what job you wanted to pursue? Yes, I decided that I didn’t want to be a “business woman”, but decided to get my Masters in Education. I thought about being a college professor for a while, until I realized what it paid. Then, I ended up in an unrelated field. My biggest mistake was that I didn’t know how to find jobs with a French or International Studies degree. I wasn’t aware how to research what jobs are available with such a degree. I could speak French, but not with native fluency and there are a LOT of truly bilingual people out there. I didn’t know what my options were and wasn’t sure how to find out what they were. Was it hard to meet people and fit in when you were traveling? No. People are people everywhere. I worked pretty hard at getting to know people and always tried to travel with someone. It’s easier to meet people that way. I also had help from my colleagues at work. They were always glad to take me along. Do you think it would have been difficult to make a permanent residence there doing your job? Thirty years ago? For me? Yes. I wasn’t resourceful enough and didn’t have the counseling and/or resources to help me. I didn’t know what I was capable of. Today? For you? No. I think it’s a lot easier now to work abroad these days, especially in the smaller world that we have. Certain countries have regulations that you have to follow to work and permanently reside there, but there are a lot of ex-pats and they find a way to do it.  J