Educated and Fearing the Future in China is the title of this article (click on the link below), it will be equally true if we just change China to United States in the heading.  Even last decade, having a college degree means having a job and career, now a wider notion of ability and sense of passion is needed to stand out amonge the cllege graduated crowd.  http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/educated-and-fearing-the-future-in-china/

Learning Chinese will fit in with a wider notion of ability.  Learning a secondary language, like Chinese, not only provide the learner with a concrete skill, but also introduce him to a new culture, and different way of thinking about issues and concerns of the world.