Is learning a second language useful?  

Well learning second language is indeed useful as per your question. And also when that language is spoken by more than one-fourth of the world. Although I think second language does not come into use so frequently. Hope, I helped. :)

english is my second language. i learned to write a complete sentence in english in grade 3. english is also used in our schools and at work. because i have good english skills, i can join international forums like mylot. i can exchange viewpoints with people from all over the world. we help and learn from each other. i still want to learn another language, though, like italian or spanish.

hi cuterodent,

Yes, it is not just academically useful but practically useful too. English is our second language and I am learning it since I was a child. My mother is very patient in teaching me different vocabularies in English and I thank her deeply for that. It makes me surpass my other classmates and got a high grades in English. I guess that is one of the reason why I took English as a major when I was studying in College. I cannot say I am confident enough with my second language. I am learning non-stop with it. I can say that I am equipped with the skills in English and through that I gained more friends. I can talk with foreign people and get more opportunities in working. It is said that one way to be competitive is that you must have a mastery in English skills. It is proven for so many times that English is a powerful language because it connects people from different parts of the world. One good example is mylot. This site is composed of different people with different nationalities. Even though we have our own native languages, we can still communicate, agree or disagree with different post, because we are knowledgeable in English.

Learning Nihongo (or Japanese language) is a must for me. I want to be able to communicate with another Japanese in order to do business with them.

With Japan just a couple of hours away from the Philippines, doing business with the Japanese is a very plausible scenario. Too bad I didn't start learning Nihongo when I was younger, I would have been very proficient by now.