the surprising power of a useless liberal arts education

“George Anders peers into his signature crystal ball, and paints a portrait of the future of work that’s as compelling as it is provocative. Julia Lythcott-Haims, author of How to Raise an Adult and former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford University I predict tens of thousands of young adults will tell skeptical parents, ‘read Anders.’' Bravo to Anders-promises to be a game-changer. With evidence that Silicon Valley ‘now hires more liberal arts majors than engineers’ from job descriptions that seek ‘rapport’ and ‘empathy,’ and with studies showing ‘high-paying, difficult-to-automate jobs increasingly require social skills,’ students inclined in those directions should feel not only reassurance or permission but an actual obligation to go there, for their own sake, and for the sake of us all. Reporting from the front lines of the 21st century’s enigmatic workplace, Anders slays the sacred cow of STEM and shows us precisely why majors like Philosophy, History, and Anthropology teach the skills employers can’t outsource to robots and software. “George Anders may be the best thing that’s happened to the humanities and social sciences since the dawn of the modern university. You will discover why people who start in eccentric first jobs - and then make their own luck - so often race ahead of peers whose post-college hunt focuses only on security and starting pay. You will learn how to create jobs that don't exist yet, and to translate your campus achievements into a new style of expression that will make employers' eyes light up. In this book, you will learn why resume-writing is fading in importance and why 'telling your story' is taking its place. And if you know how to attack the job market, your opportunities will be vast. At any stage of your career, you can bring a humanist's grace to our rapidly evolving high-tech future. You can segue from anthropology into the booming new field of user research from classics into management consulting, and from philosophy into high-stakes investing. You can be yourself, as an English major, and thrive in sales. The key insight: curiosity, creativity, and empathy aren't unruly traits that must be reined in. In YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, George Anders explains the remarkable power of a liberal arts education - and the ways it can open the door to thousands of cutting-edge jobs every week. Quietly, though, a different path to success has been taking shape. Our destinies have been reduced to a caricature: learn to write computer code or end up behind a counter, pouring coffee. In a tech-dominated world, the most needed degrees are the most surprising: the liberal artsĭid you take the right classes in college? Will your major help you get the right job offers? For more than a decade, the national spotlight has focused on science and engineering as the only reliable choice for finding a successful post-grad career.

The surprising power of a useless liberal arts education