This was an essay I had to write for college recently. I was wondering what y'all thought?

This was an essay I had to write recently for college. I got a really great score on it, but my teacher never offers constructive criticism, and I want to be the best writer that I can be.I know there are quite a few accomplished and skilled writers here on gather, so I wanted to know your opinion. The topic had to be a skill that not many people have but should have, and the essay was supposed to be logical and persuasive.

SKILL ESSAY

     I think a skill most people do not have but more people should master would be to speak a second language. I think signing (sign language) would fall into this category as well, since it is a means of communication between people, like a language. Most people, growing up in the United States never learned to speak fluently in multiple languages. That being said, my essay will focus on Americans.

I believe speaking a second language fluently could be a valuable asset to most people because it would open up new doors that are presently closed to most persons. The career opportunities would greatly expand if a person were fluent in a second language. Persons able to communicate well in another language, or have the ability to sign, are in great demand, especially with companies that do a lot of customer service. The possibility of international positions in a company could also occur with that added proficiency. The opportunity to become a translator would also be a big possibility within a company. With this added skill, a higher salary could also be expected. The possibilities are endless if one could add this capability to their resume.

Secondly, I think having the ability to communicate well in another language would be greatly beneficial in a personal way as well. Having that skill would widen a person's horizons in relation to other cultures. Being able to converse with others in their native tongue would allow a person a glimpse into lives we can only observe from a distance without that ability. To have this added skill would allow one to expand their social network, and would create much more diversity among their circle of friends as well as their personal perspective. Everywhere they went within their community: church, school, organizations, etc., they would be able to converse with more people and the advantages to that could be limitless

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Also, having the skill to speak another language well could be very fulfilling as well, because of the opportunity to be a huge asset to their community. Too many times, people who speak another language in our society are isolated and are, metaphorically speaking, without a voice and feel powerless. A person with the ability to speak to those that so few others within our culture can would be providing a valuable service to those minorities. Whether it be at church, at school, a social service organization, or a hospital, the aid those persons could give to such people would be invaluable and greatly appreciated.

I truly think that to have the ability to communicate fluently in a second language would greatly enhance one's life. It would cause us to be more well rounded as people, and have a little better understanding of others. The quality of one's life could grow immeasurably in so many ways: financially, personally, and socially; it would contribute an added richness not many of us possess. Also, to be able to pass that skill on to our children would also immeasurably enhance their lives as well. The younger that is achieved, the better because children can absorb those skills so much more easily and quickly. I remember my Spanish teacher relating to our class once that someone did some research on families being transferred by their companies overseas. I guess the study focused on how quickly, once immersed into the new culture, the family members picked up the new language. Naturally, the younger ones absorbed it the quickest, teenagers second, and the adults had the most difficulty. Perhaps it should be a goal of the public school system to teach children from a young age a second language, much as they do in Europe, so that all of these benefits could be realized at an earlier in their professional lives.

Well, writing this essay has made me think of this issue in a very personal way. I would like to make learning another language one of my goals as well. I think it would be and enriching and interesting experience, for all of the above mentioned reasons. I remember my great-grandmother was from Italy, and could speak five languages (being from Europe, and all of those countries being much smaller than ours, they came into contact with people from other cultures much more frequently, and hence needed to be able to communicate), and I was absolutely awed at that ability. But sadly, as with many immigrant families, the desire to assimilate was great, and all of those skills lost. I would love to learn that and pass that on to my children (maybe learn it together?). I think it would be nothing but good in our lives.

WELL THAT WAS IT....IT HAD TO HAVE AT LEAST A 750 WORD COUNT MIMINUM ( I THINK MINE WAS LIKE 764, OR SOMETHING, I FORGET)...THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!