Five Reasons Learning German Will Help Your Career

Fluency in German could help you do more than just express your thoughts and feelings in a foreign language – it could also help you shape a lucrative career.

Widely considered one of the most complex European languages, German is spoken across the world and is the native language of the most powerful European economy. The ability to speak any foreign language gives you an edge over your rivals. German, however, will give you access to the manufacturing, financial, and cultural hub of a thriving continent.

Whether you choose to take lessons online or learn at a language school in Berlin, here are some of the reasons you should consider learning German to further your career:

Native Speakers

Perhaps the most important aspect of any language is its use as a tool to tap into a network. The number of native and non-native speakers across the world for any language can help you judge its utility. According to Wirtschaftswoche, a German business magazine, 185 million people across the world speak German, of whom 105 million are native speakers. That makes German the tenth most spoken language in the world.

Germany is an Important Economy

Germany’s economy is crucial because of the country’s influence in the European Union and its relative size. The economy is highly developed and national income is substantially higher than most countries in the world. Measured by nominal GDP, the German economy is the largest in Europe and the fourth-largest in the world. Despite recent problems in the Eurozone, Germany’s economy has remained unscathed and is expected to grow at a steady rate for the foreseeable future.

Gateway to Europe

Germany has a disproportionate influence on the Eurozone. The country has the largest population and the largest economy in the region. It was also one of the founding members of the European Union. Today, Germany’s economy accounts for 28% of the Eurozone and key policymakers and negotiators for the EU are German. If your career involves macroeconomic or policy-oriented work in Europe, learning German is essential. 

Lucrative Opportunities

According to Kiplinger, German is one of the best languages to learn to help your career. Jobs that require fluency in German are usually highly specialized in science, technology, manufacturing, or finance. The most common jobs that require German are marketing manager, computer systems analyst, and sales manager. In 2014, nearly 7,000 new jobs in America required German fluency. The median salary for a job with this requirement was $52,000, considerably higher than the median American salary. Goldman Sachs reported that nearly 50% of employees spoke a foreign language and German was the language their recruiters looked for most actively while interviewing candidates.

Easier to learn

For native English speakers, German is easier to learn. English is a hybrid language and many old English words are borrowed from Saxons and Angles, two ancient German tribes. Many German words might sound familiar to a native English speaker. Once you’ve learned the basics you can combine smaller words to form complex phrases and words. 

Learning any foreign language is undoubtedly good for your career. However, learning to speak German gives you access to a wide base of native speakers in some of the most powerful economies in the world.