Which Foreign Language(s) Should Motivated Software Professionals Learn?*

I share my thoughts from the perspectives of a digital nomad, job opportunities for software professionals, and business prospects for solopreneurs.

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This article is intended for highly motivated software professionals proficient in English, aiming to:

• Experiment with working in different cultural settings.

• Pursue a career as a Digital Nomad.

• Build and launch apps that appeal to a global customer base as a solopreneur.

A few days ago, I shared a so-called milestone Duolingo badge.

“Duolingo has over 500 million registered users, and 37 million are active once a month.” - Source

Needless to say, mastering a foreign language is a challenging yet rewarding journey, with many people putting it down in their resumes as a valuable skill. Being bilingual or multilingual not only enhances communication abilities but also opens up numerous career opportunities, making individuals more competitive in the global job market. Employers often view language proficiency as a sign of adaptability, cultural awareness, and problem-solving skills, all of which are highly valued in today’s interconnected world.

However, as working professionals, time is limited, and learning happens in our spare time. So, if you've made up your mind to learn a foreign language, which foreign language(s) should you focus on?

In this article, I share my thoughts from the perspectives of a digital nomad, job opportunities for software professionals, and business prospects for solopreneurs.

1. Not a language that many people in that country can speak good English

My daughter faced this decision in high school when she had to select a foreign language as part of the curriculum. She wanted to learn German (appearing easy to her), but I disagreed and made her select Chinese. My reasoning was that a fair percentage of Germans (young and middle-aged) can understand and speak English to a reasonable degree—which is common across Western and Northern Europe.

My college roommate Mikael from Sweden was an example. He had previously studied in Germany and the USA (the Swedish government paid all the tuition fees) and spoke excellent English. Through him, I met several of his Swedish friends, all of whom were also fluent in English.

Logically, it makes sense to learn a foreign language that you can genuinely benefit from and put to real use (meeting real demand).

2. My Objective Suggestions

My suggestion is purely objective, not biased by my background. Let's see some ranking stats.