Learning a new language nowadays is far from being a hobby - as the world is becoming increasingly connected, language skills are in high demand.

Mastering a foreign language is a special skill that can open up a number of new opportunities in your life, improve your employability and help you advance your career.

If you're considering enrolling in a course, but still have second thoughts, here are eight crucial ways how mastering foreign languages can benefit your career.

1. You'll have more job opportunities

A vast number of companies are doing business internationally, and even those that still don't have international offices have clients, partners, and employees coming from different countries.

The truth is, businesses need more customers to thrive. By speaking the language the customers know and understand, companies open up new doors and increase their success chances.

Mastering the skill opens up a new opportunity for bilingual and multilingual persons as it boosts their chances of landing a job in PR, marketing, communications, banking, finance, customer service - wherever their interests lie.

With the world becoming more global than ever, it's the right time to broaden your possibilities. Whether you want to learn French online to get a career in diplomacy or to polish up your Italian for more chances in the world of fashion – make sure to consider your options and your interests carefully and choose accordingly.

2. It looks great on your CV

Fluency in a foreign language is a particular hard skill that can spark an interest in your future employers and make you stand out from your competition.

However, to make the most out of the skill when applying for the job, you need to highlight this fluency.

This is especially important if the language skill is crucial for the job you're applying to – examples of previous work-related communications in the foreign language would be a useful addition to the professional experience section of your CV.

3. You'll earn a higher salary

Speaking a foreign language will not only land you a job, but it will also land you a better salary. As a matter of fact, a study has shown that being bilingual may grant you from 5% to 20% more money per hour, compared to those who only speak their native tongue.

As a bilingual or multilingual person, you'll be able to bring more revenue to your company. Furthermore, your soft skills will improve as well, making you a perfect candidate for better-paid positions. 

4. You'll improve your native language skills

Mastering a new language will improve your communication skills, as it will lead to a deeper understanding and better use of your mother tongue.

Many people fear learning a new language, as they don't feel competent in the language they're using since they were born.

However, by learning about foreign grammar and structure sentences in another way, you'll become more aware of your native tongue's inner logic and become more confident when using it.

5. You'll understand the world better

People who are bilingual or often use a foreign language see the world differently, as there is a strong link between language, culture and cognition.

While you're learning grammar and building your vocabulary, you're also learning a whole new way of seeing the world and a new way of thinking. With the use of the new language, you also have a more intimate insight into a new culture and find it much easier to understand others' values, points of view, and motives.

6. You'll make better decisions

By mastering a new language, you will be able to make better decisions. A study has shown that knowledge of a foreign language and using it to make decisions gives you a greater cognitive and emotional distance. This way, your choices won't be manipulated by your own bias and blurred by your emotions.

7. It can earn you some extra cash

Mastering a new language is not necessarily connected to moving abroad or colossal career changes. You can polish up your foreign language skills anytime and become an interpreter, teacher, or translator. Apart from having an additional income, these positions may reward you in many different ways, as you will be able to make new connections and again open up some new doors.

8. It improves your brain health

Bilingual or multilingual brains perform better than monolingual ones. They know how to control the attention, focus on what's important and ignore what's irrelevant. The grey volume in the bilingual brain increases and becomes denser. Hence, it's nimbler and quicker, and less likely to fall victim to Alzheimer's disease.

As you can see, learning a foreign language much more than just a hobby. It's now a valuable asset that can benefit your career, whatever your professional aspirations are.