I am a college student who wants to major in computer engineering and potentially minor in japanese. To do this, I estimated it would take me about 5 to 6 years to graduate due to the nature of engineering and the need to get roughly around 38 extra credit hours on top of my major which is already roughly around 130 credit hours meaning I’d have to graduate with 168 credit hours give or take. Is the extra 38 credit hour commitment worth it or at that point would it just be better to self study. I also do want to maybe study abroad at some point but I think I would have to have taken quite a decent amount of language classes before I can do that.
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“Worth it” in what sense? If you mean will it help you make the money back no. If it’s “worth it” in some non-monetary sense to you, only you can answer. I have a major in Japanese and my job has nothing to do with it.
If you’re not on a full ride scholarship and don’t plan to work in Japan, then it’s likely more worth your time to take however many courses you can take without graduating late, then continuing with apps and tutors on a site like italki
Learning another language is great for your neurological health!
But unless you plan on doing something with the language in a professional sense (or need credits), you don’t have to learn it through post-secondary.
You can learn a lot of languages through youtube.
If you want to draw a straight line from the minor to some benefit, absolutely not
But if you use it to study abroad there and make Japanese friends and hope something might happen, then yes. But you also don’t need a minor for this
this is the exact story of so many people in the first year class at my university. the first year count is usually about 40 in the beginning and maybe 15 by the end of the year. this year the second year class started with 8 including myself. unfortunately it’s probably not a good idea. languages like japanese/chinese are full commitment. the only people who successfully make it out with the minor are people with less rigorous majors who have some amount of talent for foreign language
I majored in computer science and minored in Japanese. It was absolutely worth it! I haven’t had to use it for my career, but having it as a hobby has presented me with amazing opportunities. I won a speech contest (& tickets to Japan), made Japanese friends and created lasting connections with my professors.
On the topic of studying abroad, most colleges near me just require students to take the first two intro classes.
Good luck with your language journey!
I took Japanese language classes but I didn’t go for the minor because only half of the classes needed to be Japanese language classes. It was 15 credits of Japanese at the 300 level or above, and 15 credits of Japanese history, linguistics, art, etc. The minor was meant to give a “broad understanding” of Japan and its language, but I wanted to focus exclusively on language because communication is what I was interested in. I could read history and such on my own. I ended up taking 400 level Japanese and some advanced writing and oral communication classes aimed at grad students, so I had over 30 credits of Japanese language alone in the end. My Japanese was technically better than minors and even a lot of majors but I’ve got no “degree” to show for it.
If I had my time back… hell yes if you have any interest in Japanese do it. But, I would say just do the courses for fun/interest, no need to get a full “minor” as I don’t think people care that much about minors do they? The real-world qualifications are JLPT levels or simply being able to speak and these you can accomplish by yourself on your own time, anytime.
I’d say just do some courses but not necessarily extend / pay more for it until you get to that point where you are about to finish computer engineering and then make a decision on Japanese. Bonus if you can do any length of exchange program / overseas trip in Japan with a sister university here.
You can study abroad w/o learning Japanese prior, study hard and pass the JLTP N1. I’ve seen it.
However, is it worth it to **major** in it? I don’t think so because you can accomplish yourself in Japanese w/o a degree in it.
If you just want to learn and get involved with Japan and Japanese people just learn on your own and do the study abroad program. IMO.
Sometimes there are computer or code errors that are only being discussed in Japanese. When you can’t read what they’re saying, it’s very frustrating. Ask me how I know, lmao.
Anyway, as someone who did college for computer science, I wish my school had been able to offer languages like Japanese or French. I learn much better in a classroom environment and I would love to go back in time and take Japanese instead of self studying all the time. At the very least, having someone else print out worksheets for grammar practice would be great.
Of course, that still implies the local colleges offer Japanese courses. Mine do not have much.
I did a Spanish minor which allowed me to become more or less fluent at a high academic level. Now that I’m older and want to learn Japanese, I wish there was a way to have that level of rigor again. I just can’t since I work and have a family and all. So take advantage while you’re in school and have the time.
I minored in Japanese, my first job out of college was at a Japanese corporation, so it definitely helped.
What is the actual cost of 38 extra credit hours? This is a cost-benefit analysis. What $$ (or your currency) are you losing by NOT working those 1-2 extra years, and how much $$ are those two years costing you? Don’t forget loan interest. Once you know those two things, you have a starting point for serious consideration.
I suspect you could do a year in Japan at language school more cheaply. Do that. Or do iTalki lessons and buy all the books/materials you could ever want for a fraction of the cost of a year of college.
Unless youre planning on teaching/academia (which it sounds like you aren’t), there’s no legitimate reason to major or minor in a language. Even if you’re a translator, I’ve never seen anyone care about academic credentials, just whether you can meet deadlines with consistently accurate translations (and what your price per word is if you work for yourself). Take the classes you want to learn, but the degree won’t do anything for you. Get it if you decide you want it, but treat it like you would a minor in say…English, theater, or art.
Bottom line is focus on learning language skills over doing coursework. The extra hours will not be worth it to you in the long run, though, and I would think that time would be better spent either seeking out native speakers, practicing watching or reading Japanese content, or focusing on prepping for coding interviews so you can land a job that affords you the luxury of actually going to Japan.
Source: BA in Japanese and former translator turned software engineer.
In Japan people talk to you and they see if you can talk back.
Nobody has ever asked me for any type of proof of Japanese fluency. No JLPT, no degree, nothing. If I apply for a job they usually CALL me instead of emailing me if they’re curious. With email you can obviously get a friend to write it for you or proofread it for you, and a phone call is trial by fire.
Study Japanese if you want, but the paper is worthless in Japan imo.
I think the JLPT is more useful than a minor in Japanese. Studying for the JLPT with apps, classes, self-study and the occasional trip/exchange will also be cheaper and more rewarding.