I haven't gotten very far in learning because I can't figure out practical ways to use it and things to get out of it. Any suggestions?

Chip:I haven't gotten very far in learning because I can't figure out practical ways to use it and things to get out of it. Any suggestions?

This place is a good start. Ask questions, read other's esperanto posts. Search the user DB for people you find interesting and try to communicate with them in esperanto. I'm very socially lazy though which might explain why I'm still quite bad with the language. I only go the learning and reading route and rarely practice it.

I would guess that most Esperantists are content to enjoy the social or foreign travel opportunities that Esperanto provides - being an Esperantist is a bit like belonging to an exclusive international club. Though there will be some for who the main satisfaction is intellectual.

However, it is quite possible to make money out of it as I did some 30 years ago by organising the publication of an Esperanto adaption of one of OUP's picture dictionaries, originally intended for the teaching of English to foreigners. I contracted with OUP to buy the whole print run of 10,000 copies and eventually sold everyone of these. And all this long before the appearance of the Internet.

Nowadays, the commercial opportunities must be greater, given the ease of international promotion and collaboration. Just put your thinking cap on. You might come up with a great scheme for the commercial application of Esperanto.

I make some money from Esperanto, because it has led me into work with non-profits and various international projects.

However, I spent many, many years volunteering in the same field before getting paid for anything, so it's safe to say that making money from Esperanto is something that isn't very easy to achieve.

I have met a lot of good friends with Esperanto and travelled to interesting places. Some of the very best people I know on this planet are Esperanto speakers. (and also some of the very strangest, if I'm honest, so it also keeps life interesting)

If you like international travel and learning about other countries and cultures, then Esperanto is useful. Even if you don't have much money to travel, Esperanto travel is cheaper than other forms of travel, if you stay with Esperantists. If even that is too expensive, you can still use the internet to meet all sorts of interesting people.

However, if you aren't very interested in meeting new people from other places, and you aren't interested in other cultures and countries, and you're not much interested in travel of any sort - then Esperanto probably isn't for you.