Do you have a strong command of English? Your level of English language skills could have a significant impact on your career – or potential career.
If you are ambitious, the ability to master the global language is critical to your ability to achieve your goals or land your dream job.
Being able to communicate in English instantly opens up a vast number of doors for potential employment opportunities. It broadens your global outlook. It expands your knowledge.
It connects you to the world.
Coming from a country where English is not the first language doesn’t mean you can’t master the language. If you are willing to put in the commitment to learning the language, you will be rewarded. Suddenly your appeal as a prospective employee will soar – with two languages under your belt, you will be in higher demand.
Not only will you be able to operate confidently in your native country, you will be able to operate and do business confidently in other countries.
If you’re a business owner exploring the possibility of expanding overseas, you will require English to deal with officials in other countries, in dealing with suppliers, contractors and future employees. Without English, you could well be lost. And your business, which may have the potential to appeal to customers in a wide range of other markets, may never reach its full potential.
If you’re a student who wants to study abroad, or even take one of the scores of online courses offered by universities in the U.S., the U.K, or Australia, for example, then having a level of English mastery opens up those opportunities.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in IT, science, medicine, diplomacy, working as a pilot, or even entertainment – to make an impact and be able to work effectively, English is essential.
Want to find a higher-paying job? Want to climb the corporate ladder? Want to work with international corporations of organisations? English is essential.
In Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia, Chinese influence is growing, as is the expansion of Chinese corporations into the region. While this may bolster the argument for people to adopt Mandarin as their second language instead of English – which may be correct in some cases – English will continue to be the dominant language of global business.
In fact, even Chinese companies expanding to non-Mandarin-speaking countries, are well aware they need to have a certain level of English if they want to become global companies.
As The Economist noted last year, a number of multinational companies that originated in non-English speaking countries have since adopted English as their official language.
This has not only been witnessed in Europe, but also in Japan and even in China, where Lenovo has made English its main language for doing business.
* This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! – an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) Sarawak – to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
