1.1 Why did we write this book?

I noticed a need for a book like this years ago, when attending what we used to call “UTSA Day,” now “Roadrunner Preview,” as a fresh-out-of-grad-school Assistant Professor. At this event, potential students and their parents come to our campus to chat with representatives from different colleges, departments, and programs, and the different colleges, departments, and programs tells students and parents what we have to offer. Being in San Antonio, just four hours from the Mexican border and with a Hispanic population of over 60%, I thought selling folks on the value of a Spanish degree would be a cinch.

Boy, was I wrong.

Here are just a few of the comments I got that day:

• “That doesn’t pay.”
• “You can’t get a good job with that.”
• “Why would I study Spanish?”

Clearly, lots of people feel this way. Enrollments in the languages have decreased across universities, and prestigious language programs like Indiana University and West Virginia have been closed entirely.

Part of the problem, I think, is confusion over what students can do with a Spanish degree. If someone studies engineering, they go on to become an engineer, and people can appreciate that linearity, that clarity. When students study Spanish, they can go in numerous directions, as there is not a one-to-one correspondence between degree and profession. However, the opportunities are endless; we just have to work a little harder, as teachers, to help students understand what their options look like. That is the purpose of this book. Here, we chat with a series of Spanish majors about what it is they do in their careers and how they use Spanish at work, with the goal of opening students’ eyes to all the things they could go on to do and be with a Spanish degree.

Each chapter in this book features a single person’s story. Through a series of questions, we’ll learn about who they are, what their career is like, how they got to where they are today, and advice they have for students interested in following in their footsteps. My aim is for them to inspire you and get you thinking about all the things you could do with your Spanish skills down the road.