Whether you are in your final year of earning your French major/minor or just diving into your degree, the same question looms over all of us aspiring Francophones: How in the world am I going to keep up and apply my French skills after I graduate? Unfortunately for us, there are few opportunities for us to walk out the door and use French here in the United States. With only 1,301,443 native speakers in the U.S. – or .003% – of the population, we need to be active and get creative to keep progressing our French skills!
Where to Go From Here?
That’s why I wanted to start this mini-series called La Prochaine Étape (the next step). I want to pass along advice and the resources I've gathered over the years to you.
What qualifies me to weigh in on this, you may ask? Well, after graduating from the University of Oregon (Go Ducks! Sorry, Benny) five years ago with a major in French, I've had to take my own advice to be active and get creative to keep my French alive and well, and in progression. Since graduation, there is one thing I've learned and know for certain: it is that French – or any language for that matter – is not like riding a bicycle. You cannot put it down and neglect it for a long period of time, then expect to pick up right where you left off when you need it. If you do not use it, you will lose it. Plain and simple.
You don't want that, and I don't want that for you either. You've worked hard to be where you're at with your French language skills, and one of the true joys in learning French is taking all that hard work in the classroom and putting it to good use out in the world! Whether you intend to use your French professionally, to make your travels in the francophone world richer (and easier!), or to expand your binging options on Netflix, this series is meant to be a resource for you to maintain and progress your French skills so you can reach your goals.
Use Your French Overseas!
So, keep your eyes open this week for the first installment of this mini-series which will cover a program called the Teaching Assistant Program in France, or TAPIF for short!
Bonne journée et à bientôt !
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