Over the years, I have often been asked by younger people starting out, what second language should I learn? A great question and one to which I have discovered the correct answer can change over time.

When I was younger and working with Donn Corporation, we had international  businesses in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Scandinavia. Since I was traveling several times a year to these locations, I really wanted to learn a second language. As I have often done when facing a new decision, I thought I would ask the experts what they thought. We had a French President, Chris and a German President Branco. On my next trip to Europe I had the following conversations:

Brad to French guy Chris: Should I learn French or German?

French guy Chris to Brad: Learn German because you can not trust the Germans!

Brad to German guy Branco: Should I learn French or German?

German guy Branco to Brad: Learn French because you can not trust the French!

Now I had created a Real problem. I safely chose Not to learn either language.

In the last two years we have travelled to Switzerland and to Paris and Brussels. The Swiss all speak 5 or 6 languages and excellent English. This year in Paris and Brussels we noted that almost everyone we came in contact with willingly and smoothly spoke English. This was not always the case, especially in Paris, but it is today.

Why do even the reluctant French speak so much English? It is not because they love Americans and certainly not the British all of a sudden. Rather it is because wherever we travelled in Europe we ran into huge groups of tourists from Asia especially China. And how do all these Asian visitors communicate in Europe? In English, of course.

Which leads me back to the question of learning a second language. Americans are lucky and blessed that English has become the international language of both business and leisure. But if a young American asked me today what language should they learn, my answer would be Mandarin, the most spoken of the several Chinese languages.  In the retail and hospitality businesses,  a young person who speaks Mandarin can get a job wherever they want to.

But there is another correct answer to this second language question. Young people around the globe should learn the language of Coding. Coding is what allows us to create and use computer software, use apps on your mobile devices, engage in social media sites like Facebook and to explore the web and visit websites. Technology is the future and Coding is the key to technology.

So that is my final answer, lock it in, learn Coding!