New "Why Study Russian" website

[Devin P Browne]

I agree w/many of the comments about Russian language as a marketable
skill.  Few people these days are marketable at all if they don't have a
variety of skills to bring to a company or organization.  None of the
jobs on the AATSEEL Job Index call for people who can speak Russian yet
nothing else.

>>From briefly looking at a number of the jobs listed in the index which are
more entry level (not requiring a specialized degree in law or business,
for example), it seems that the recurring skills and  experience sought
are:

 * management experience
 * technical skills
 * writing skills (e.g., grants)
 * knowledge of business, social work, or international relations
 * training skills
 * organizational skills
 * interpersonal skills
 * knowledge of politics and/or economics

Sounds pretty generic in some cases, but I noticed these skills listed
over and over again.  And I think this applies in a variety of fields.  I
know that I was hired at my more recent teaching jobs partly because of my
experience with technology and grant searching/writing -- not *just*
because I could teach Russian, French or ESL.  As another example, my
friend works for Price Waterhouse and was hired because of his MBA, the
fact that he can do PowerPoint presentations, and definitely because he
has some proficiency in French.

If we are graduating Russian majors and Russian MA's who are not
interested in continuing for a ph.d and teaching in higher ed, we *need*
to be talking to them about job market realities.  Students need to know
how to get the above kind of experience in order to help them get a job in
a field which they enjoy.

Foreign language skills are certainly marketable, but mostly when combined
with other skills areas.

Devin / Divan

Devin P Browne
dpbrowne+ at pitt.edu