Anders, George. You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a “Useless” Liberal Arts Education. (New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2017).

Anders, George. You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a “Useless” Liberal Arts Education. (New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2017).

Anders, George. You Can Do Anything: The Surprising Power of a “Useless” Liberal Arts Education. (New York: Little, Brown & Co., 2017).

You Can Do Anything

Given the rising cost of tuition, many college-age students (with their parents’ encouragement) see the purpose of college as preparation for a well-paying job. This, in turn, leads to the majors in practical fields such as engineering, computer science, business, and finance. Since the latter part of the 20th century, the liberal arts have been seen increasingly as irrelevant to the acquisition of marketable skills. Interestingly, however, many high-powered corporations are now looking for individuals with strong analytic skills, creative thinking, and flexibility to respond in highly dynamic environments. Those who have prepared narrowly for a specific role with a fixed set of skills can be at a disadvantage. Using many examples, Anders illuminates the value of a liberal arts education and illustrates the ways in which college graduates build satisfying careers in corporate America. This book can offer high school students and their parents an important perspective to consider when making decisions about college majors. It offers a refreshing counterpoint to the resume-driven admissions mania critiqued by Frank Bruni in Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania.