A persuasive case for building career success through broad education, targeted skills, and social capital Young people coming out of high school today can expect to hold many jobs over the course of their lives, which is why they need a range of essential skills. The Career Arts provides a corrective to the widespread and misleading notion that there is a direct trade-off between going to college and acquiring practical job skills. Ben Wildavsky cuts through the noise and anxiety surrounding this issue to offer sensible, clear-eyed guidance for anyone who is making decisions about education and career preparation with a view to getting ahead in the workforce. Drawing on evidence-based research, illuminating case studies, and in-depth interviews, Wildavsky shares the most vital lessons of what he calls the career arts, which include cultivating a mix of broad and targeted skills, taking advantage of employer-funded education benefits, and preparing for the world as it is, not as you wish it could be. He explains why college remains the gold standard of credentials, and presents the most promising high-quality supplements and alternatives to college that can help learners combine general and job-specific skills. He shows how building social capital is also critical to success, particularly for disadvantaged students. An invaluable guidebook for students, parents, counselors, and educators, The Career Arts reveals why college education and job preparation are not either-or propositions and identifies the blend of education and networking needed to support real-world career aspirations. Ben Wildavsky is a visiting fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is the award-winning author of The Great Brain Race (Princeton) and coeditor of Reinventing Higher Education and Measuring Success. He is the host and coproducer of the Higher Ed Spotlight podcast. "In a time of extraordinary change in postsecondary education and the workforce, this book posits that there is no single way to prepare for a meaningful career. It also highlights how social capital, rather than occupying its historic role of perpetuating inequality, must be repurposed for the next generation as we work toward a more inclusive workforce."-Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling "Wildavsky shows how students from disadvantaged backgrounds have the most to gain from the knowledge, skills, and critical career networks that degrees offer, but also sees a place for high-quality alternative pathways. Essential reading for policy experts as well as guidance counselors, teachers, parents, and students, this nuanced and timely book bridges the debate over the value of college versus nondegree credentials, enabling both sides of the argument to think more clearly."-Brent Orrell, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former Acting US Assistant Secretary of Labor "From its powerful, clearly written opening to its compelling reporting and up-to-date synthesis of research, The Career Arts is an excellent, practical guide for all those considering postsecondary education and other career-related learning pathways. A great read and a wonderful resource."-Sean Gallagher, executive director of Northeastern University's Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy "This accessible book will help students, families, and advisers understand that much of today's public debate about college versus job skills is badly flawed. It will also be useful to college and university leaders as they work to improve their students' transition to the labor market, a role they are expected to take on more than ever."-Catharine Bond Hill, managing director of Ithaka S+R and former president of Vassar College "Ben Wildavsky challenges us to see the supposed dichotomies between education and training, degrees and certificates, and learning and careers as what th

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