Dancing with capitalism: Employability and the pursuit of impact in linguistics curricula

This article examines how linguistics instructors can invoke the concept of impact in preparing students for a career, arguing that this way of thinking underscores the value of identifying and articulating transferable skills in engaging with community to pursue meaningful challenges. Drawing on initiatives in the UK and US, the authors present models of embedding partnership building, applied projects, and reflective practices into teaching, from an Applied Sociolinguistics module to scalable interventions for classrooms and beyond. Finally, reframing career preparation as critical engagement with capitalism, the article explores how this lens brings focus to choicefulness in careers and students’ capacity to effect change through work.