“Have you finished your foreign language requirement yet?” a friend of mine asked me.

“After this semester, but then I plan to audit one Spanish class each semester until I graduate,” was my response.

“Why?” she asked.

Good question. Why would I continue to take foreign language classes when I no longer had any obligation? Wouldn’t that just be an additional burden in my life--and an unnecessary burden at that? College foreign language classes can seem like a futile attempt at becoming fluent in another language, especially since the classes are usually slow-paced, which is why many students don’t see the point of taking foreign language classes. It’s not like you can learn anything that will actually benefit you, right? Being able to say, “mi casa es rojo,” will never really get you anywhere in life, right?

I beg to differ. Being bilingual, or multilingual, provides one with another way in which to understand the human experience through language, a priceless privilege in a world where miscommunication leads to so many easily preventable interpersonal issues.

Upon being told that I had to take a foreign language in order to satisfy a general education requirement for my degree I wasn’t thrilled—then again, most students aren’t.

Why spend time taking a foreign language when you don’t plan to major in or use that language? This is where most students—and most Americans—get the concept of learning a foreign language wrong.

The very process of learning a foreign language, regardless of whether you use it or not, is beneficial.

Of course, anything worthwhile takes time and work. Think of it this way: you most likely find yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media on a daily basis, all the while bemoaning your lack of time, but imagine if you took just five of those wasted minutes and applied them towards some learning with a foreign language app? Your brain would thank you, as learning a foreign language can actually change your brain’s structure by increasing neural pathways and cognition.

On top of that, learning a foreign language puts you way ahead of the curve on the career front by giving you an invaluable skill to market to employers.

One of the most important skills that employers look for in job applicants is the ability to communicate, and if you can communicate well in more than one language that gives you a huge advantage in getting hired. Communication is central to all types of work, whether it be journalism, health care, or law. If you can speak another language, you can communicate with groups of people that your unilingual—yes, that’s how you refer to someone who only speaks one language—peers can’t, meaning you have wider-reaching capabilities for success.

When you learn a foreign language, you’re not just learning a language, you’re learning a whole new culture and way of looking at the world.

Renate Latimer, Associate Professor Emerita of German at Auburn University, wrote a list of 25 reason students should study a foreign language and almost half of the reasons are related to an enhanced ability to communicate across cultures. Learning a foreign language doesn’t simply mean that you can speak in a different language, it also means that you come to understand the culture and perspectives of different parts of the world which makes you a more empathetic and educated global citizen—a characteristic that is sadly lacking in our world.

I may not have originally wanted to take a Spanish to fulfill my foreign language requirement for my college degree, but I am endlessly grateful that I was forced to do just that. Being forced to learn a foreign language has improved my mental capabilities, given me an advantage in terms of employment, and made me a better global citizen. Just goes to show that sometimes when it comes to education it’s not about what you think you need to know, but about what is actually good for you to know.