Bilingual, because of your job or just for pleasure

In Mexico, when you are a teenager between 12-15 years old, we study the "secundaria" and we receive instruction for about two years of the most basic english skills. There are few schools that teaches another language different from english.

My name is, what color is this?, what time is it? are the day to day lessons. Sadly, not everyone is interested in learning the language.

Con la globalización, la modernidad y la economía, cuando te conviertes en un adulto productivo, descubres que necesitas hablar un segundo idioma para lograr un ascenso en tu trabajo, un aumento de sueldo, una promoción, o mayores beneficios.

That is exactly what happened to me to improve my living conditions, to grow in my job and to find new opportunities of employment.

Speaking, writing and understanding a second language has been the most powerful tool or asset to compete for a higher paycheck. No, I do not make that much money of course, but it feels great to write it down this way.

But, you know what? At the end, the most important thing is that I love to be a bilingual person. Not only because of a job, but also because the satisfaction that gives you to be able to read, speak, write and understand a different language from the one your country of origin speaks.

So what about you? Being bilingual does helps you to improve your living?, being bilingual does gives you more professional opportunities to grow? or is just merely the pleasure for learning another language?