"Someone once said that learning Chinese is "a five-year lesson in humility". I used to think this meant that at the end of five years you will have mastered Chinese and learned humility along the way. However, now having studied Chinese for over six years, I have concluded that actually the phrase means that after five years your Chinese will still be abysmal, but at least you will have thoroughly learned humility."
This is a really good essay that I read long ago. My view is... you got nothing to worry about. Between how hard Chinese is to learn, and the eagerness of Chinese to learn English (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/04/28/080428fa_fact_...) and the fact that even at current rates of growth it'll take decades for China to catch up means English will be the default international language for a long time yet.
"Someone once said that learning Chinese is "a five-year lesson in humility". I used to think this meant that at the end of five years you will have mastered Chinese and learned humility along the way. However, now having studied Chinese for over six years, I have concluded that actually the phrase means that after five years your Chinese will still be abysmal, but at least you will have thoroughly learned humility."