Soft Skills and Language Learning: Emily’s Story

 

I never really thought about what career [studying Arabic is] going to lead to. It just felt like I needed to find something that was meaningful, and if I needed to make it practical some way, I would figure it out later.

Emily

⏱ Reading time: 3 minutes

In a couple of our articles, you’ve been introduced to Emily, who’s been highlighted for her self-efficacy (see Developing Self-Efficacy) and the way learning Arabic shaped her career path (see Using Your Target Language in Your Career… Or Not!). Here’s more of her story:

Emily tried a number of majors in college, from history to nursing, before discovering the Middle East Studies/Arabic major. She found that she could use it as a cultural and linguistic lens to study a variety of things that interested her. According to her, it was the perfect frame and vehicle to continue pursuing her interests, as well as things she loved about her previous majors, while directing those interests towards a people and culture she did not know much about but felt compelled to understand better. As a bonus, it gave her the opportunity to study Arabic. Her Arabic studies eventually led her to an internship at the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development.

When she graduated, she was not set on making Arabic a core part of her career but struggled some to compile a strong resume that was not based primarily on her considerable linguistic prowess. She decided to focus instead on what learning Arabic had taught her in a broader sense. Her Arabic and Middle East Studies journey helped her to acquire “soft skills” she could put to good use professionally, including how to break down difficult concepts, how to relate different fields to each other, and how to learn new things efficiently and effectively.

Emily put these skills to use as an analyst in healthcare IT and continued to learn and progress. She advanced to consulting roles and after eight years became a vice president of data analysis and consulting, with no “relevant degree” in the field. Her awareness about how she learned—coupled with her sense of self-efficacy gained from her Arabic study and with her drive to learn and understand new things—earned her the reputation in her company for being the in-house expert in testing and explaining new software and programs. Even though she does not currently use Arabic in her day-to-day life, the skills gained through learning it became far more applicable and relevant than expected, and the language still brings her joy.

Click the links below to hear Emily’s advice on:

• deliberate practice and recording yourself
• the soft skills of language learning
• self-efficacy
• focusing on the meaningful over the practical
• …or watch our full interview with her below