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How You Can Stay Globally Competitive
By: Henry DeVries
Release Date: 09/24/08
How You Can Stay Globally Competitive
How many languages do you speak? More important, is it enough to stay competitive?
In the best-selling book The World Is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman provides an essential update on globalization. This Pulitzer Prize–winning author details the great changes taking place in our time, as lightning-swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before--creating an explosion of wealth in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run even faster just to stay in place.
There is a common misconception that holds many individuals and organizations back. They do not take full advantage of the shifting global realities because of a belief that learning culminates with a degree. Many individuals and organizational leaders believe that an undergraduate or advanced degree, coupled with on-the-job experience, will provide the knowledge and skills sufficient for a professional career spanning several decades.
In today’s world that is no longer true. One of the reasons lifelong learning has become so critical is the acceleration of scientific and technological progress coupled with a globalizing economy. Knowledgeable workers have more choices, as well as contribute to accelerating a region’s economic vitality.
One increasingly critical piece of knowledge is to gain cultural understanding through language understanding. As many linguists point out, language shapes the way we think and what we think about.
There is an old joke that if you speak three or more languages you are multilingual, if you speak two languages you are bilingual, and if you speak one language you are an American. Or as newspaper columnist Dave Barry put it, “Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages."
UC San Diego Extension is committed to offering one of the most comprehensive foreign language programs in San Diego. In addition to foreign language courses in up to 12 different languages, the program also has a Translation and Interpretation (Spanish/English) certificate program and the option to earn continuing education credit for pre-approved Spanish language study in Mexico and Spain.
Is it time you studied Chinese, Arabic or Russian? In addition to those languages, you can also learn Dutch, French, Japanese, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian (Farsi), Portuguese and Spanish.
At UC San Diego Extension you can expect small class sizes with no more than 16 students. We intentionally keep our classes smaller, so that you can participate in a relaxed, interactive group with plenty of opportunity for practice. In addition, we offer convenient evening and Saturday morning courses that fit your busy professional schedules.
Perhaps it is the language of global commerce that you need to speak. The Professional Certificate in Business Management offers a specialization in global commerce. Courses include global marketing, international trade operations and international finance and capital markets.
As a university concerned with world issues, UC San Diego continually strives to increase the global reach of the campus. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why various international authorities consistently rank UC San Diego as one of the top 50 universities in the world.
According to The London Times, UC San Diego ranks 44th among the world’s best 200 universities. China’s Shanghai Jio Tong University ranked UC San Diego as 13th globally in its annual academic rankings of world universities. UC San Diego ranks first nationally among major research universities for sending students abroad in full-year programs, and fourth among U.S. research institutions in the number of international scholars hosted.
Founded in 1966 as the continuing education and public program arm of the university, UC San Diego Extension now educates about 40,000 people a year through innovative local, corporate and online programs. Extension is recognized nationally and internationally for linking the public to expert professionals and the knowledge resources of the University of California.
What we at Extension have learned in the last four decades is that today’s constant is change. Goods and services can be developed, bought, sold, and in many cases even delivered globally over electronic networks at the speed of light. The impact of daily shifts in technology and global developments on civic, company and personal decisions can be tremendous.
Where can a region, a business, an individual turn to keep pace?
At UC San Diego Extension, we believe that great social and economic prosperity comes from integrating the collective knowledge of the university, community leaders and professionals.
Lifelong learning makes a significant contribution to increasing productivity and improving the employment rate. Adult education raises the overall quality of the talent pool, prevents professionals’ qualifications from becoming obsolete and helps career-advancers find better jobs. Up-to-date citizens also make better decisions and lead richer lives.
In short, lifelong learning is a requirement for the new Flat World global economy.
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