Choosing a Chinese pathway

July 9, 2006 at 10:27 AM

Hello people, once again I need to ask of some help from you guys.

I am very keen in doing Chinese as a career choice. I have done some research on what Universities are offering which is only International studies(I'm from Australia not sure if the course is done internationally or not), but with the international studies course there is not much focus on Chinese, well not as much as I was expecting. You can select to do several types of studies in the 1st year such as American Histroy and Asian studies. One of the 3 years there is a language component in there but I'm just not sure.

Does anyone know much about this course? If so can they share their opinions on it?

I'm also intrested in suggestions of good career options involving the Chinese language. Being a year 12 student you don't really get told much of what you can do beyond translating. So can I get some opinions.

If you wanna narrow it down I have an intrest/some skills in IT, Mathematics and good general knowledge.

July 9, 2006 at 07:34 PM

well, I am from America and I plan on majoring in international studies however what happens here is that you pick an area of the world (south america, east asia, africa, etc..) and you basically just study that area, usually with a minor in a language. Obviously i plan on doing east asia, minoring in Chinese.

for your other question, alot of companies do business with china and they are usually looking for someone who knows chiense to help with that. my dads friend is chinese and he gets paid extra just for knowing chinese!! you could work at an embassy, or for the government, a translator, or....uh....well i know that there is more but i am out of ideas. hopefully someone else will help.

July 10, 2006 at 09:06 AM

Daniel, I'm not sure which universities you're considering, but perhaps you might consider a degree in Asian Studies, if Asia/Chinese is really what you want to focus on.

I'm at a university in Australia where International Relations is quite a popular degree, but from what I've heard, it does tend to focus on subjects such as politics and history, which are, for the most part, based on America/Europe, probably because the Asian studies courses are under a different faculty. Most of the students studying IR seem to be aiming for jobs in DFAT

As for good careers options involving languages, I wish I knew I guess some options would include teaching and international business, as well as security/defence-type jobs (ASIO/ASIS etc). Oh, and DFAT, of course

July 10, 2006 at 09:23 AM

Here's my 2 cents:

If you love the language minor in it or major in it, but maybe also consider a double major in something else as a backup (depending on how much you want to push yourself once you get to college and if you have in interest in anything else. I did this and so did a few of my friends, but I'm not familiar with Australia's educational system) ...Language, after all, is just a tool, even if one day you want to get a Ph.D. in Chinese and ultimately do research with it. My impression is, having spent a few years in Los Angeles, that there is not really a huge shortage of Chinese + (insert another language here) speakers in the world, in fact I would even say I don't even think non-native speakers of Chinese are really that much of a great find other than that maybe their best language may be slighly better than some native Chinese speakers English (Once again, situation in big cities in America), simply because I know people who can speak Mandarin, Cantonese, maybe another dialect, and perfect English as well....so overall keep yourself competitive and make sure you really have something to offer a company in the future, but also study something you enjoy, you might not even end up in a career that you originally intended....ahh college applications time is near....

advice #2

just major in Engineering and you get the bonus of practicing your Chinese skills with everyone from Tsinghua who made it "out" to get their Ph.D. abroad....

July 10, 2006 at 09:44 AM

Daniel,

I am relatively familiar with Chinese language education in North America. And the reality there is that it doesn't really matter what you specialize in as an undergraduate if you are really into China.

And specializing in Chinese or Asian Studies is a BAD IDEA unless you already speak the language. Why? Because your university will not teach you to speak Chinese decently. For that you will have to spend considerable time in China. You can try to arrange a year abroad or try and find ways to spend your summers here. Or you can do what most people do and come here for work after graduation.

So don't evaluate your options based on whether particular universities offer specialized Asian studies courses. Evaluate them based on very practical things like the number of Chinese language courses that they offer, *whether you can actually get into them as a first year student*, how big the library is and how diversified the course offerings are, etc. Then take a mixture of courses in things that interest you (economics, computer science, history, music, whatever...).

A year of Chinese language study might convince you that you have no interest in China. Or it might get you hooked. But there isn't a lot of point in dedicating yourself to Chinese studies before you can even speak the language. Cast your net wide. This not only has the advantage of making you a cooler person, but it will broaden your opportunities when you finally hit the China-related job market -- professionally or academically.

July 11, 2006 at 02:02 AM

I would recommend deciding what you want to do for a living, and then figuring out how Chinese can be a part of that, instead of the other way around.

I want to echo what heifeng is saying here (and trevelyan's comments regarding the chances of changing your mind midway through your studies is spot on, too).

Lots of students go into International or Area Studies thinking it will give them increased chances of landing an "international" job (perhaps they believe that such majors will "prove" their interest in things foreign). Unfortunately, these are usually quite "soft" majors, and give little employment advantage beyond any other liberal arts degree. The best-positioned candidates for overseas work have a meaningful major (economics, business, education, nursing, computers, history, accounting, linguistics, comparative literature, art history, etc.) paired with solid language skills and area familiarity. My advice is to view each of the two steps as separate, though not unconnected, parts.

First, the substantive major: This is what will pay the bills if it turns out that you're not good at languages, or if you choose not to pursue an international lifestyle. When done in conjunction with language and area studies, it will set you apart from your competetors who only have the language. This will also give you credibility when seeking a particular field of work, such as economics or management. (There is a reason why so many students are overseas teaching English; they have precious few other skills or experience to offer potential foreign employers.)

Second, the language/area studies component: This might be a minor, a second major, an "a la carte" selection of classes, or non-academic experience (such as volunteer work). The thing to remember about this part is that the skill itself is far more important than getting it on your transcripts. Four years of language classes will not mean much if you graduate with sub-par language skills. Most students will need to spend some serious time abroad (usually a year or a semester, at least) to reach the level of fluency necessary to make their language skills marketable. You will need to fit this into your academic schedule, so plan ahead.

These are good questions to be asking at this point in your life. Loads of students go to university lacking direction, and even a very preliminary plan can save you time and money in the long run. Best of luck to you!

July 11, 2006 at 03:37 AM

Thank you all for sharing your great advice, I really do apreciate it.

This has given me a different perspective really. I will do some deeper research into perhaps combining a degree from an area that I want to get into(most likely IT) with some Chinese.

This has sort of thrown me as I have been dead set on a certain career path for a few years until about 1/2 a year ago when I discovered that it wasn't quite what I was after. From returning from a 2 week school trip in China I decided that I wanted to get into Chinese, but just solely Chinese langauge..of sorts. Now I am just unsure. Looks like I'll have to go back again to the drawing board. Its wierd I have always been frustrated by people that are unsure of what they want to do in life and now I am one of them.

So..lets see. What is employment like on Chinese jobs to do with IT, photography and graphic design(computer based)? As I am intrested in exploring those fields.

I realy do hate to ask such specific and annoying questions.