Don’t be fooled by the title, this book is a must-read for any college student, parents of college students, employers, college advisors, graduates, and most specifically, the liberal arts student. George Anders’ book packs a plethora of supporting evidence and facts to boost his stance that majoring in a liberal arts education doesn’t mean that you are forever chained to a life of saying, “Would you like fries with that?” College is a time-consuming endeavor with a large price tag, parents and students are keen on pursuing the best option to ensure they receive a satisfying return on their investment. Anders’ book offers encouragement, beneficial advice, powerful anecdotes, and concrete examples to illustrate the usefulness and potential of a liberal arts degree.
Today, everyone puts focus and emphasis on STEM degrees and the idea that majoring in these fields are the only route to finding success and a good job after graduation. While it’s true that recruiters still actively chase after STEM majors, Anders does an incredible job in researching the potential of liberal arts students in today’s job market, identifying opportunities for those with a liberal arts background, and exploring strategies for liberal arts students to tailor their skills for a wide-range of job opportunities. He brings hope to the liberal arts community by pointing out that the job market is constantly changing and millions of jobs, that didn’t exist five years ago, are being created for individuals that can deal with ambiguity, utilize critical thinking skills, and use ingenuity to solve problems. Anders presents various testaments from tech-companies and businesses that are actively looking to hire liberal arts students for their intellectual curiosity, problem-solving skills, and ability to analyze and interpret data and information. Moreover, Anders’ book coveys the message to readers that liberal arts students will have to work hard, use creative approaches, and improvise to build their way to a successful career.
His book is an essential, helpful tool for anyone ready to launch themselves into starting their own business, finding a job, or learning how to market their skills in any field. Anders illustrates to readers the possibility for greatness with the power of an education since a degree is the golden ticket to opening doors to vast opportunities. George Anders demonstrates the value of a liberal arts degrees in the job market, not just in academia, by utilizing many inspiring examples of liberal arts majors that have gone on to create billion dollar companies or do jobs not related to their major. One of the main takeaways of the book: your major does not equal or limit your ability of career options. A liberal arts curriculum gives you an advantage over those that have a narrow sub-set of job-specific skills. Anders argues that employers need generalists with a wide-range of skills that can complement any type of role within their company. The hard truth is that earning a Bachelors’ degree does not guarantee a job upon graduation; however, leaving college with a transferable skill set ensures you stay on the right track towards a successful future. Anders’ book is separated into four sections that hits on various key points, such as, helping individuals build towards a satisfying and successful future, market their skills, explore job opportunities, and launch themselves into the job market.
The first section is titled “Your Strengths”, it presents various examples of how “supposedly impractical classes” have the potential to launch students’ careers with the ever-changing job market. Anders sheds light on the stigmatization of the liberal arts community by discussing that “taunting liberal arts majors had become an ugly sport” (Anders) by notable public figures, such as Jeb Bush and Megan McArdle. In a society that is quick to discredit the value of a liberal arts degree, it’s inspiring to see Anders publish a book directed towards portraying liberal arts majors in a positive light.
Anders’ book opens with an inspiring example, a liberal arts student that has prevailed and now leads a successful career, Josh Sucher. Majoring in Anthropology and acquiring marketable skills, such as curiosity and creativity, has led Sucher to become a field researcher for Etsy, a billion-dollar online market. To readers, it’s important to note that Sucher translated his knowledge of anthropology to become a researcher for a billion-dollar online company; a skill that will be taught in this book. The bottom line, employers are looking to hire college graduates that write well, speak clearly, work effectively in teams, and know how to analyze problems, all qualities that are central to the liberal arts major.
The second section, titled “Your Opportunities”, explores career strategies for liberal arts students to secure good jobs. The chapter is filled with endless accounts of liberal arts student successes, such as, a philosophy major creating one of Silicon Valley’s most successful start-ups, to demonstrate to readers that everyone has the potential to be successful. Additionally, the section focuses on a dozen sectors, examples include project managers, social-media experts, and market researchers, where employers are waiting to hire promising candidates that can adapt to a changing job market and move forward “in the face of ambiguity” (Anders 2017). This chapter is perfect for readers to learn the sectors that are targeting the strengths found in a robust liberal arts education. In short, this section is meant to serve as a guide that highlights opportunities and career options for liberal arts students. Of course, the reader should note that annual income hardly equates to a measure of success in life.
“Your Allies”, the third section, looks at possible changes that could help our society make use of the “pioneering spirit” (Anders 2017). In other words, showcasing the positive effect of how campus career offices and recent alumni can make the job hunt less frustrating. The chapter introduces several major companies that “get it” (Anders 2017) when it comes to the merits of hiring liberal arts majors. In a bold declaration, Anders states that a company’s success hinges on the central elements of what comprises a liberal arts degree: “working on the frontier, finding insights, choosing the right approach, and reading the room” (Anders 2017). Section three, emphasizes the importance of networking with past alumni to improve college-to-career mitigation. Many students overlook the benefits of past alumni; a dumb mistake. Alumni have the power to benefit your job search in ways that you couldn’t imagine. Anywhere from offering beneficial advice to putting in a good word for you with an employer; alumni are valuable resources that shouldn’t be taken for granted.
The last section, “Your Tool Kit”, provides tactical advice on how to get hired and move up the corporate ladder to higher pay and great benefits. Anders stresses that anyone with a liberal arts background has the ammunition to tell an unparalleled story to future employers; the key is to effectively tell your story. Anders offers strong advice and a step-by-step guide on how to perfect this maneuver and to ensure that you stand out among hundreds of applicants. Overall, the last section is the most useful in terms of practicality and starting on the process of utilizing your degree to secure a great job. Ultimately, Anders’ novel is packed with testaments to the power of a liberal arts education, words of hope and encouragement to the liberal arts community, inspiration and concrete examples, and a sense of direction on where and how to start ones’ career. Anders’ book does a fantastic job in decrypting the job market and creating a powerful must-read for the liberal arts student planning to launch their career, and while the journey may be fraught with hardships, the feeling of leading a success future will be well worth the wait.
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