Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits
Previous teaching experience (student teaching, etc.) is necessary to become a college educator; it will take several years at the minimum to gain tenure and advance to the rank of professor.
Successful linguists are inquisitive and patient, and they truly enjoy working with words, language, and sound. Strong research, reading, and writing skills are also important. Over time, linguists develop a discerning ear that can identify the sounds of speech in any language. Linguists should also have an interest in people of other cultures and be able to relate to them well. Other important traits include attention to detail and an energetic personality.
Related Professions
- Anthropologists
- Archaeologists
- College Professors
- Conservators and Conservation Technicians
- Cultural Advisers
- Demographers
- Economists
- Education Directors and Museum Teachers
- English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers
- Ethnoscientists
- Foreign Service Officers
- Futurists
- Genealogical Researchers
- Genealogists
- Geographers
- Historians
- Historic Preservationists
- Interpreters
- Lexicographers
- Medical Ethicists
- Political Scientists
- Secondary School Teachers
- Sign Language and Oral Interpreters
- Sociologists
- Statisticians
- Translators