You Can Do Anything the Surprising Power of a ââåuselessã¢ââ Liberal Arts Education
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But are engineers destined to rule the earth? Maybe not, simply equally it isn't the ultra-logical Mr. Spock who commands the Starship Enterprise, only rather the charismatic Helm Kirk.
In his new book, author George Anders has done a vivid job of decrypting today's job market place, identifying vast new opportunities for young people with liberal a
Nosotros seem to live in a earth of Stem Über Alles, where if a young person doesn't learn to lawmaking, he or she is condemned to life equally a barista or a dog walker.Only are engineers destined to rule the world? Perhaps not, simply as it isn't the ultra-logical Mr. Spock who commands the Starship Enterprise, but rather the charismatic Captain Kirk.
In his new book, author George Anders has washed a vivid task of decrypting today's task market place, identifying vast new opportunities for young people with liberal arts degrees. He points out that while the computing sector has created plenty of new jobs, the fastest-growing fields are actually the ones "catching the warmth of the tech revolution," jobs like graphic designer, grooming specialist and research annotator. And in a world where millions of jobs are existence created that didn't even exist 5 years ago, those best positioned to grab them are the ones able to rapidly clarify, improvise and bargain with ambiguity. In other words, those with the skills at the very heart of a liberal arts education.
It's true that recruiters nonetheless chase candidates with technical backgrounds. Those with a liberal arts degree, peculiarly at the beginning of a career, will need to exist creative. And this is where Anders' book actually shines - with 1 inspiring example after another, he shows readers how to find jobs and improvise their fashion to a successful career.
For anyone looking to launch themselves into the world of work, this book is essential reading. Who knows? Someday you could be commanding a Starship of your own.
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People all seem to brag about having a STEM career or education while totally ignoring the fact that people skills are being shunted aside in favor of knowledge. Thus, a Liberal Arts education or degree of a
People are social creatures. Even with the ever rushing tide of technology that threatens to beat out u.s.a. all in a soulless dystopian wasteland, people will still want to connect with other people rather than some kind of robot. That is the bones premise of "You Can Do Anything" past George Anders.People all seem to brag about having a Stem career or teaching while totally ignoring the fact that people skills are existence shunted aside in favor of knowledge. Thus, a Liberal Arts education or degree of any kind gives a person a sort of balance and competence that employers are looking for. People may chortle and denigrate you for your choices, especially your parents, but there is something to recollect in this instance, it is your life. It is non your mom'southward life, not your dad's life, not your rich uncle'due south life. And then they may exist belongings the pocketbook strings merely you are the helm of the send.
In that vein, Anders gives enough of advice and support to people that may be considering a liberal arts caste or those people that have one already. Just because you lot have a Masters Degree in Anthropology doesn't land y'all in the fast lane for a career in Starbucks. For instance, the author decided to attend a course that studied the works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the masterful Russian Novelist. The bones idea was to go and read all of his works in ten weeks and boil that information downwards into an viii-page paper that was a majority of their grade. The professor chucked them into the breach and didn't hold their hands, so Anders had to come up up with some serious written report methods. He had to deal with the stress and pressure without any assistance.
The book covers all of that and more than. I tin see this book giving people a lot of hope and ideas in how to succeed in whatever they may want to do.
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Anders argues that liberal arts degrees always were valuable and take non become less valuable. If anything, they have become more valuable to employers. The rub, of form, is that the value is not crystal clear to almost and takes fourth dimension to develop and pay rewards for graduates. This insight is non new - information technology has long been known that graduates have to experiment of time and jobs in an effort to find out where they want to be equally their careers develop. Anders approaches this from an encounter with some data. He looked up the extended job descriptions for a large number of positions that were more likely to hire liberal arts graduates. He so looks at how employers, on their own websites and others, talk about what it is they desire from people - what are the specific activities and skills that liberal arts graduates can do that make them appropriate for these jobs. The volume is structured around going into five general areas of capabilities that graduates should examine and interesting and electric current case studies are sprinkled throughout. The terminal chapters consider more specific suggestions for liberal arts graduates about interviewing, salary negotiations, and other issues.
The style is light and piece of cake to read. The details and case studies are geared toward current job market conditions and new sorts of jobs that did not exist before 2000 (or even 2008). Anders clearly ties his initial arguments in throughout the subsequent capacity then the continuity and coherence is expert.
These books generally exercise non solve graduates' problems - they demand to do this themselves. This book might provide some insights, however, that struggling graduates might appreciate.
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As higher tuition has taken off, parents and students have become increasingly concerned about the return on investment. Thousands of students head to campuses each autumn having heard some version of The Talk: major in something tech-related so you lot tin have a job afterwards school. Parents wring their easily about their sophomore phi
George Anders undertakes a difficult chore in You Tin Do Anything: he offers hope and advice to liberal arts majors. (Whether it works on their parents is another matter.)As college tuition has taken off, parents and students take go increasingly concerned nearly the return on investment. Thousands of students head to campuses each fall having heard some version of The Talk: major in something tech-related so you tin can accept a job after school. Parents wring their easily about their sophomore philosophy major at Oberlin, foreseeing a future involving clearing tables and living at home.
Fright non, ye wary undergrads, you volition discover a chore afterwards graduation! George Anders enthusiastically argues for the ancient wisdom that learning to recollect critically volition offer the best chance for long-term success.
It's former-fashioned to regard a higher education as a path to greater task stability. College provides something more precious: the ability to switch jobs successfully when new opportunities arise or old ones wither.
Anders argues that automation is coming for most all our jobs. Aye, my white collar gig, too. Your white collar gig. Everybody'due south white collar gig. (I said that in Oprah'south voice.) But, as automation takes up the work, what the workforce will need are flexible disquisitional thinkers. Thinkers who tin can pivot and think outside of the box. Aka, liberal arts grads.
The book is full of stories of history, picture palace, and philosophy majors now running international programs for non-government organizations and heading up user experience for Etsy. The jobs are often far afield from the majors they graduated with, which is precisely his point. Anders presents example after case, and the tone of the book is relentlessly optimistic.
This is absolutely Oh, The Places You'll Get for college students, and I cannot recommend it plenty.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in commutation for this review.
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The majority of this book highlights people with liberal arts majors who are working in fields normally reserved for specific educational backgrounds. For example, the English major who is doing social media marketing. (Is this actually a surprise?). Or the McKinsey consultant with a history degree (also, non real
Here's your not-so-spoiler: with hard work, decision, and networking, you tin have whatsoever job you want in the whole broad world. It'due south true! Even with your "useless" liberal arts degree!The bulk of this book highlights people with liberal arts majors who are working in fields normally reserved for specific educational backgrounds. For instance, the English language major who is doing social media marketing. (Is this really a surprise?). Or the McKinsey consultant with a history caste (besides, non really surprising?). Most of the people highlighted were amazingly motivated people who seemed to prefer working to sleeping or watching TV (once more, not surprised: the Movers and Shakers of the world accept better things to do than Netflix and Chill).
At that place volition ever be a need for people who write well, speak well, or both. Additionally, young people should know that their undergraduate major does not define them (I think most of them know this). And if you tin can spin your decision to spend $400k and four years studying the purpose of Grecian urns (bodily case), and an employer feels a compatible lucifer, so more power to all parties involved.
Not really recommended... it was an ok read just I'm not certain for whom it was written. Perhaps a good read before you head off to college? Maybe college graduates? Peradventure parents? There's nothing in hither that you don't already know, simply I will slumber a trivial sounder tonight knowing that I made a kick-donkey determination 20+ years ago to pursue a liberal arts degree.
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The volume rides a wave of
upbeat description of good career prospects for those who majored in something other than business organization, applied science, computer science etc. Acknowledges on the ground of big-picture surveys that liberal arts types brand less money on average shortly after graduation [and sometimes beyond -- my major trails the pack 0-5 years out and x-20 years out per his tables on pp. 153-154], simply anecdote afterwards anecdote shows information technology'south not impossible to carve out your ain path and make a living.The book rides a moving ridge of anecdotal evidence to most of its conclusions. Sometimes very engaging -- i enjoyed reading near an internship programme [and one of its satisfied customers] run by ane of my daughters' schools, for instance -- but never really adding upwardly to a disarming overview of what paths are open to the typical graduate in a particular field. To be certain, this book goes far deeper than the usual article on how Nib Gates dropped out of higher, so apparently credentials don't matter anymore, only at the same fourth dimension I could imagine a non-daring, non-family-wealthy, non-extraverted person having some difficulty putting all the self-branding, alum networking, just-exist-a-consultant to get your foot in the door advice readily to piece of work.
Then once again, I may non be the optimal audience by age, temperament, or career approach for this material. Having parlayed my Psychology major into the off-the-browbeaten-path adjacent step of Psychology graduate school and and so a New Economic system task as a Psychology professor, I've already earned my stripes equally a rebel who bucks the macro trends and actualizes his ain visionary possibilities.
...more The arrangement pattern is wisely divided into Your Strengths, Your Opportunities, Your Allies, and, finally, You're Tool Kit. The tool kit capacity could stand alone equally a technical strategy for translating a liberal arts degree into a job. He challenges the reader to have a story that shows how he/she ticks. He reminds us that employers want to know how we have overcome se
Anders provides a comprehensive and, for the most part, practical guide for liberal arts students in the search for a job.The organization blueprint is wisely divided into Your Strengths, Your Opportunities, Your Allies, and, finally, Yous're Tool Kit. The tool kit chapters could stand alone every bit a technical strategy for translating a liberal arts degree into a task. He challenges the reader to take a story that shows how he/she ticks. He reminds united states of america that employers desire to know how we take overcome setbacks. The new grad should outset the take the pay conversation in an interview more early that we might recollect.
For Anders, the excellent liberal arts pupil who tin can articulate three skills he/she has acquired in college and in their work" autonomy of thinking and living, mastery as a
a means of analyzing situations and finding the right solution and purpose.
The offset audition for this book seems to be parents who need reassurance that the money they are putting out for a student'due south education volition atomic number 82 to a career. The second is most useful to the students.
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This wasn't one that I'd call a iv star, just I did want to requite it four stars without actually giving information technology iv stars, if you grab my drift? I liked this ane considering it did kind of validate my need to non be STUCK. And likewise my English language major. Not bad. Not bad at all.
|three.75 Stars|This wasn't one that I'd call a four star, merely I did want to give it iv stars without really giving information technology four stars, if you take hold of my drift? I liked this one because it did kind of validate my need to not be STUCK. And besides my English major. Not bad. Not bad at all.
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Equally a business firm believer in a liberal arts instruction, I promise that this book inspires parents and students to choose interesting courses and to worry less about degrees deemed worthless by the majority. I personally have been in too many courses where students focus more on how volition this help me go a chore and less nigh how this course could impact your life. This is a shame and information technology degrades teaching every bit a whole. Education is supposed to teach y'all how to recollect and broaden your mind and then yous can listen to and sympathise different perspectives other than your own.
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I knew I
This volume is Astonishing because it'southward so positive! Equally a former liberal arts major (I studied history and minored in Russian), I'm so incredibly tired of people dumping on the humanities. Look, if business concern or applied science or math or whatnot is your thing, that'due south fine. Just not all of us want to major in those fields! I have a graduate degree in finance, but I use my history major at least as much as I use my finance degree since I take to read and write a lot at piece of work. Oh, and I piece of work in a bank.I knew I liked the author when he said the most of import grade he always took in higher was on Dostoevsky. How could I, the biggest Russophile y'all'll ever run across, not approve of an writer after that delightful introduction? I rest my case.
...more than I think what might be most helpful nearly this book for liberal arts majors worried most their power to make a living is the research that shows that while liberal arts graduates might make less right out of college they tend to catch up in income over time, earning more than other more "technical" degrees. I call up it'due south too helpful to accept all the various people mentioned in the book who are doing things that at first glance don't seem at all connected to whatever they studied in col
three.five starsI think what might be well-nigh helpful about this book for liberal arts majors worried about their ability to make a living is the enquiry that shows that while liberal arts graduates might brand less right out of college they tend to grab up in income over time, earning more than other more "technical" degrees. I think it's also helpful to have all the various people mentioned in the book who are doing things that at first glance don't seem at all connected to whatever they studied in college but do really indirectly relate to it, à la the book'southward title Y'all Can Practice Annihilation.
There's a strange part about halfway through the book that makes me question the author'due south intentions with this volume: after capacity exploring the various ways people with liberal arts degrees have succeeded and created new career opportunities for themselves, the volume all of a sudden starts listing what chapters to go to in order to learn how to parlay your liberal arts skills into getting good careers (in fact it'due south almost exactly half style through the book, folio 152 out of 292 pages, not including the acknowledgements, index, notes, etc.). It would seem, given that most people reading this book would probably be reading it over a business of how economically useful a liberal arts degree might be as far as getting a skilful job, that this sort of thing should exist located at the beginning, at to the lowest degree in an introduction telling you what chapter to jump to for what topic is virtually interesting to you. Or, conversely, if that's not the primary goal of the book, then peradventure this section should just not be listed at all -- if you expect the reader will read the whole book to get a confirmation of how crawly their liberal arts degree has made them, then yous don't always demand to say what chapter will exercise what, they'll get at that place on their own. Again, it's just a little strange but doesn't distract much from the rest of the book.
I also remember it'south very interesting that for a book about Liberal Arts degrees, St. John's College isn't even mentioned, considering St. John'southward is sort of an "old school" liberal arts college where students don't even have majors, they all receive degrees in the "liberal arts"; at that place may be i mention early on in the book but I couldn't find it once again when I searched for it later and I might exist conflating different books I've read. (Full disclosure: I attended St. John'due south College).
...more than That being said, the re
Probably about 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book, and human being, did it start out like gangbusters. I was so fired up after the first fifty pages that I came in to work more inspired than I had been in quite some time. Information technology had me thinking about all the means I've replaced thinking with doing and routine and the realization that I missed the procedure of thinking! Needless to say, I've had ane of the better weeks of work I've had in a long time - and I'm inspired to keep that momentum.That being said, the rest of the volume doesn't maintain the same intensity after the beginning 100 pages or so, which was a bit of a bummer. For i affair, he packs it so full of examples that they most become redundant after awhile. I empathise why he does it - he is trying to demonstrate a wide range of successful outcomes for liberal arts students. It just gets repetitive and in plow I started zoning out hither and there.
The other major complaint I take is that he has an inordinate amount of examples from liberal arts students at elite institutions. He tries to balance that with stories from graduates of less prestigious universities, but probably should accept erred on the side of more stories from less prestigious places. Because in reality, only so many of us can become to Princeton or Yale, and in that location are certain advantages built in for graduates from those places, regardless of major.
Still, I think this is a great read for anyone who is questioning the value of a liberal arts major. He is incredibly passionate and paints a pretty compelling case for the value of a degree centered on critical and expansive thinking.
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I recommend this read for the author's comments on a blurry subject. Not many people in my past reading have been able to clear on the value of a liberal arts education in the workplace and give concrete only honest examples of what potential this line of thinking brings to an employer and business.
Repetitive but practicedI recommend this read for the writer's comments on a blurry subject. Not many people in my past reading have been able to clear on the value of a liberal arts instruction in the workplace and give concrete but honest examples of what potential this line of thinking brings to an employer and business.
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The championship alone hopefully volition buoy the spirits of parents and students themselves drawn towards the perilous pits of the Liberal Arts. The book itself felt similar information technology was 85%
Since I feel that "confirmation bias" is the disease of the day, I should out myself as recovering Rhetoric-a-holic. Add to the confession that I am of the contrarian denomination. Thus the want to stem the swelling Stem tide rises within me, also as a balmy level of self-defence force for the Humanities, if not humanity itself.The championship alone hopefully will buoy the spirits of parents and students themselves fatigued towards the perilous pits of the Liberal Arts. The book itself felt like it was 85% ethos, riding on testimonials of unique success stories. There is a nice chart early comparing salary curves for technology grads versus the dreaded well-read.
Overall, I walk away less assured than expected. I still blench when folks say things like "I don't get Math" or seem to have some attitudinal antibodies attacking science (and I'm non even thinking of spiritual sling and arrows necessarily). To me STEM is like a language, and arguably the most important ane these days (google interpret to the Babelfish cannot be far off, but withal my boys volition log three years of disposable loftier-school French). Anyways the more than Stalk one can pursue and be fluent in, I remember that is skilful for more than vocational reasons.
Is there a pareto-chart of the success stories in the book, how many were hanging off tech, even if the tech were no-more marketing masquerading as "social technology?" The Morningstar ascension star was interesting, I do call up that selling a "story" is a skill that has always been key, especially when you are the "story."
Next I probably demand to go read a book on the future of colleges/instruction. I remember ten years ago hearing that some schools would allow Google (or was it AltaVista) on essay tests, or had classes in effective searching online as part of their curriculum. I have a hard time imagining what Organic Chemistry is like these days, is memorizing still a large office of its core?
So despite having read this book, I discover myself trying to plant carve up seeds in my kids, mayhap not-so-secretly daring to hope the artist/engineer and musician/biologist concluded upwards being minor/majors as opposed to major/minors. My bigger worry across my ain kids (who will likely do fine and who will SURELY do their own thing, seeds be damned) is the notion of a carve up society pitting Stem-team those who don't make the cut. But then again, is this more merchandising of fears? The digital divide was supposed to be a similar huge rift in the world, which but did not materialize. All for 1, and I-phones for all?
Lastly back to you invisible friend, I remember you lot could pretty much read the online manufactures by the author, or reviews of this book like the WSJ one, written by someone with some pare and tassles in the not-Stem game as the President of Wesleyan.
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