My French degree has served me well here in Houston, Texas. After returning to Houston from my year abroad in Strasbourg, France, I began graduate studies at The University of Houston. Due to budget cuts, I lost the Teaching Assistantship I'd been promised thus went to work as a technical writer for a French geophysical company, CGG or Compagnie Générale de Géophysique. I also facilitated adult education classes in French with Houston Community College. From there, I went to work for Société Générale, a French bank's representative office. When my kids were little, I taught middle school French at Westchester Academy, an international charter school in Houston. I then ran the French American Chamber of Commerce for a few years and orchestrated the annual Beaujolais Festival for Houston's francophile community. From there, I moved into domestic corporate banking as many of my colleagues at SocGen were there; French banks were tightening their ranks (due to mergers) in Houston in the early 90s. An international port city such as Houston is a wonderful place for a language major to work in corporate and/or academic environments. Bienvenue, y'all!
