A language for an electrical engineer

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the decision of whether to take Chinese as a minor alongside a demanding course load in electrical engineering and related subjects. Participants explore the implications of adding a language course to an already intensive academic schedule, considering both the potential benefits and drawbacks.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern that taking a language could distract from other intense courses, suggesting that the language requirement may not be necessary for science students unless mandated by the university.
  • Another participant argues against taking a language course, stating that learning a language outside of formal education might be more manageable and less burdensome on GPA.
  • A different perspective is offered by a participant who, having studied multiple languages, believes that the effort is worthwhile and that knowing one language can facilitate learning others. They recommend Spanish as a beneficial language to learn.
  • One participant strongly advocates for learning Chinese, citing the growing importance of the Chinese economy and suggesting that knowledge of Asian languages could be advantageous in technology careers.
  • Concerns are raised about the difficulty of learning Chinese, with a participant noting that it requires significant time and effort, especially without immersion, and suggesting that English suffices for many professional contexts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus. There are competing views on the necessity and feasibility of taking a language course alongside a rigorous academic schedule, with some advocating for the benefits of language learning and others cautioning against it.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying assumptions about the importance of language skills in relation to their specific fields and career aspirations, as well as differing opinions on the impact of language courses on academic performance.

Slimjimjohnso
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With China being an up and coming world power I am considering taking Chinese as a minor during my undergrad studies. Some of my friends think that this will be distracting and may take focus away from my other intense courses but I figure that the language is only 3 credit hours boosting my hours taken for next semester to 17. Does anyone have any advice? Should I be ok with a language as well?

The classes I will be taking for sure are Calculus 3, Differential Equations, Physics (Quantum and modern) and Computer Engineering (integrated circuits and logic gates)

Do you guys think adding chinese into this schedule is overkill?
 
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I don't think a second language is necessary for a science student unless your university requires it. If it is required, I would do the easiest language possible in order to finish it in the least amount of time so one could take more science courses.
 
I think you'd better not take a laugauge course because you can learn a language when you have time after school. If you take it as a course, then you will soon find that it is a burden which ruins your gpa. Learning a language which you are not familliar with needs a lot of time.
 
Let me show you a different point of view.
I am spanish and I am currently on the last year of my MS in Telecommunication Engineering (something like electrical+electronic).
I'm studying english and french right now and I've studied some german in past years and I don't regret it at all. It takes a lot of time but I think the effort is worth. And once you know a different language, learning another one is much easier.
On the other hand, this language courses I'm taking are not in the university (foreign languages are not in the curriculum in Spain) and I don't have exams, so if I need to focus on my degree I can.
I'd recommend you learning spanish, it's not only widely spoken in the US, but it's the official language in almost every country in America.
 
If you're planning on entering a career in technology and products, definitely learn Chinese. If you really want to look ahead, learn other asian languages like Indonesian because the economy in China is growing and production costs went up by 20% this year, so major distributors will start looking elsewhere soon for cheap labor.
 
Chinese is a very hard language to learn so if you are taking other intensive classes than I'd advice against it. A classmate of mine was taking it last semester and it was a lot of work.

It's pretty hard to learn a language without being immersed in it. English is a pretty universal language nowadays so I wouldn't bother unless you really wanted to or you have a lot of free time to really study the language outside of books and homework.
 

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