I'm a freshman with an interest in consulting (geared toward economic development and this kind of social projects, at least for the moment). I love learning foreign languages and I was wondering if I should study Korean or Mandarin in university (personally more interested in Korean but I'm a bit afraid it won't be as marketable as Mandarin). I would love to study/work abroad for a bit but I don't intend on permanently being based in a foreign continent (i.e. Asia). Also if it helps, I already speak four European languages (+ English ofc) somewhat fluently, not too perfectly, but I'd be able to be proficient if I lived in the country for ~6 months. What do you suggest? Thanks :)
Jun 25, 2019
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Congrats on the languages and keep it up - being multilingual is not only a marketable skill but also a generally good way to develop your brain.
Regarding specific languages, Mandarin will indeed be more marketable than Korean. Likewise, if you do not plan to work long-term in Korea I would probably focus on another one. I would also advise you to push one or two of your other languages to "full" fluency. Being able to function in a language is different than being proficient enough to work there.
Either way, good job and keep on learning!
Hey there,
Korean studying in the States. As far as I know, Korean market for finance and MC is small. It is definitely growing, such as HF or PE, but is incomparable to that of the States. I believe China's market is bigger.
All in all, if you want to pick up between those two, go for Mandarin. Beware though, it will be pretty challenging for you to reach the level of "professional proficient". Good thing you are already multilingual! Keep it up.
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