<p>I have basically chosen the three things I would like to study but the configuration of them is what is getting me. I plan on double majoring and the liberal arts college in my school requires a minor so I cannot get out of that.</p>
<p>Russian, Arabic and Government.
I also want to do a degree certificate program in international relations. I know it seems like a lot but the classes I planed to take for the above majors for next semester actually count for the certificate program so I decided I might as well go for it since for me it would be two, maybe three extra classes at the most. </p>
<p>Also, I have all of my core classes practically done with at the moment.</p>
<p>My ultimate goal is to become an fbi agent, work in homeland security or something dealing with prevention of violent crimes/terrorism.</p>
<p>I have been teaching myself both languages and I can do basic greetings, alphabets, numbers, days of the week, all the tourist-y things so far in arabic and russian. But I can only speak them. I am just now starting on the writing part. </p>
<p>I am really reluctant to study only languages which is why government is in there. And my original plan was to go to law school but now I am deviating from that but I'm wondering if I am shooting myself in the foot trying to study two languages at ones. Especially two languages with completely new alphabets and characters and whatnot.</p>
<p>If you want to work for some government agency and be in an environment where you will need to speak these languages then you will need to be fluent. They aren’t going to hire a guy who only knows basic stuff. Studying abroad is critical to your resume if you are taking the languages ticket. It is the only way you’ll become good. If I were you, I would pick one main language and either go to the middle east or russia for a year. Studying both is going to be really hard, and becoming fluent in both is likely impossible.</p>
<p>Also, the FBI an DOH don’t really do much international stuff. You should look into the CIA.</p>
<p>With foreign languages it really depends upon your personal motivations and capabilities. One thing to keep in mind is that fluency and ‘speaking’ are entirely different worlds, as the poster above mentioned. Anyone can ‘speak’ a language, but fluency will take many years of effort, time, motivation, and immersion. While it’s definitely possible to juggle two languages at once, most people have an easier time at focusing on one language at a time. It’s really your personal call though. I dual majored in Japanese and Chinese and survived, though I gained a gew grey hairs in the process </p>
<p>For career options though, just remember not to get discouraged. Many people might say that having a Chinese major or Arabic major will open up many career options to you, but the reality is that most of us with language majors are left with few options other than teaching. </p>
<p>But as long as the languages are your passion, you’ll be happy :)</p>
<p>I would suggest choosing one language to focus on. You need to be fluent in order to work for the government. Trying to become fluent in two totally different languages is near impossible. Studying abroad is a great idea if you get the chance. It not only looks good on your resume but you get a rewarding experience from it.</p>
<p>Yeah, fluency is really important. Government organizations like the FBI and CIA have many candidates to pick from- many of whom are native speakers. It’s kindof impossible to live up to that standard, so I would concentrate on only one of those languages. Speaking Russian fluently and having studied Arabic in the past, I personally think Russian is the way to go, but choose whichever one you have the most passion for. Good Luck!</p>
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