Book Corner-The Career Arts: Making the Most of College, Credentials and Connections by Ben Wildavsky

I just finished reading The Career Arts: Making the Most of College, Credentials and Connections by Ben Wildavsky.

The author makes a compelling case that in an age where there are questions about the value of a college degree, a college degree is still pivotal in opening doors to work opportunities and supporting long term financial success. He argues that while alternatives to four year college degrees like certificate programs have grown in number in recent years, potential employers see these as valuable endeavors if they exist in addition to college degrees and not in lieu of them. The author also focuses on the value of programs that give young people the chance to apply their learning in internships. Lastly, he argues for supporting young people (especially those in marginalized communities) with building professional networks that will support their success; he highlights programs like Year Up and Handshake that have been creating transformative opportunity pipelines for young people.

I thought the section about helping young people build social capital was the most interesting to me. We often tell young people to build their networks and expect them to be able to do it. But from what I have seen they need much more scaffolding and guidance to make this happen. This book provides a great jumping off point for that topic in particular.

Helping young people build their professional networks is super important to us at What Comes Next. Stay tuned. We are thinking through what offerings might be beneficial to young people leaving college and about to embark on their careers. And we also recognize that building ones network can start happening as early as high school.

Check out this title and add it to your parenting bookshelf!