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The English language can be understood to belong in the top three most spoken languages in the world. The age of globalization has further pushed the establishment of the English language and now, can be heard in almost all parts of the globe. Depending on which theoretic lens one may choose to utilize, knowledge of the English language tends to put oneself at an advantage whether that may be culturally, financially, intellectually, or practically. Thus, I would like to argue that English can influence a student’s future career due to the fact that primarily, 20% of the world’s population speaks English (Lyons, 2017). Second, studies have shown that bilingual brains tend to have cognitive skills that are more efficient in processing and absorbing information. Lastly, numerous reports have linked a correlation between the percentage of English Speakers and its effect on the GDP of a country. Modern day English was derived from a mixture of the language spoken by Germanic tribes entering present day England. Old English was then created, which was further sharpened with the help of the French-Greek speaking Normans. This paved the way for the modern English language that many have come to know, love, and utilize. With that said, out of the world’s 7.5 billion inhabitants, 1.5 billion people speak English (Lyons, 2017). Suffice to state, this statistic does not necessarily reflect native English speakers. As mentioned by McCormick (2013) “…billions of people around the globe are desperately trying to learn English—not simply for self-improvement, but as an economic necessity”. This will likely influence the career of a student in a sense where one’s career will not be limited to the student’s country of origin but rather- will be given the option or opportunity to work in several countries. The notion that bilingual brains are smarter can be attributed to numerous studies produced by both scientists and the media accordingly. A study conducted on 114 babies by GUSTO Singapore stated that with regards to bilingual babies, “…the greater information processing efficiency required in learning two languages at once gives babies the chance to develop skills for coping that will give them the upper hand when it comes to navigating early education” (The Huffington Post, 2014). Suffice to state, the processing efficiency is not limited to babies but is applicable to adults learning another language as well. Furthermore, as it was mentioned in an article posted by The New York Times, Bhattacharjee (2012) stated “…the collective evidence from a number of such studies suggests that the bilingual experience improves the brain’s so-called executive function — a command system that directs the attention processes that we use for planning, solving problems and performing various other mentally demanding tasks”. This would also include the ability of one to focus on a task and avoiding distractions- a key characteristic that many employers look for. The benefits of having knowledge in English are expansive hence, it would deem rational to state that the percentage of English speakers influences the GDP of an according country. In an article posted by the Harvard Business Review, the EF EPI- which ranks the English skillset per country, has concluded that “…a rise in English proficiency was connected with a rise in per capita income” (McCormick, 2013). More so, they have also mentioned that “…on an individual level, recruiters and HR managers around the world report that job seekers with exceptional English compared to their country’s level earned 30-50% percent higher salaries” (McCormick, 2013). These findings, while simple and direct to the point- have a great impact and tends to motivate non-English speakers to learn such a language. In conclusion, there are numerous benefits to learning English. As previously mentioned, speaking English make oneself available to a worldwide audience, aid in stronger cognitive skills while simultaneously avoiding distraction, and lead one to a well-paying job. Suffice to state, the benefits are not limited to the ones mentioned above as there is a wide array of personal gains that may be taken from learning and speaking English. Sources: Bhattacharjee, Y. (2012). “Why Bilinguals are Smarter”. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html\ Huffington Post. (2014). Bilingual Children Are, In Fact, Smarter Than Other Children. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/09/04/bilingual-children_n_5766966.html Lyons, D. (2017). How Many People Speak English, And Where Is It Spoken?. Retrieved from https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/how-many-people-speak-english-and-where-is-it-spoken/ McCormick, C. (2013). “Countries with Better English have Better Economies”. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/11/countries-with-better-english-have-better-economies
