Highly effective language instruction develops a practical skilluseful to careers in international business, diplomacy, journalism, andother professions. While learning Russian brings personal andintellectual satisfactions, students are also understandably concernedabout career opportunities. Is Russian a marketable skill? The answeris definitely yes, but in an increasingly complex world where demandsare constantly changing, it is sometimes difficult to keep abreast ofopportunities.
Teaching used to provide employment for the largest number of Russian language majors, and government was the next most productivesource of jobs. Today, however, Russian majors have the opportunity touse their language and culture skills in a broad variety of settings inboth Russia and the United States. Students go on to work in businessas financial and policy analysts for American and Russian companies.
They work for non-governmental organizations, for publishing houses,for the print and broadcast media. They teach in Russian schools, andconsult in fields such as marketing, advertising, aerospace, andcomputer engineering. And, of course, some continue to go on to do moretraditional work as teachers in universities and schools, and asemployees of the United States government.
