And no mention of B grade actor, Ronald Reagan, who honed his craft later in life before a gullible electorate for 8 years? One can hope that Mr. Benenson's respect for critical thinking shapes Ms. Clinton's presidential aspirations, especially if she were to be elected. To his credit, President Obama is a critical thinking leader of the free world. Communicating both effectively and entirely transparently is not always easy or necessarily pretty in politics. Ronald Reagan, and most recently, George W. Bush, arguably both lacked intellectual curiosity and acute critical thinking skills, making them both more accessible to a broad electorate seeking black and white answers in a mostly gray world. Reagan's acting skills and complete ease in front of an audience and camera certainly gave his communications significantly more polish and fluidity than Bush.
11
Wonderful article. Along with Shakespeare, I'd add a dash of Greek Philosophy and Art History. These disciplines teach us to look not just with our eyes, but through our eyes, so that whatever path our lives take we are carry with us tools to help shape and enrich our experience of the world.
6
Some people commenting here are skeptical about the value of a truly liberal college education. I understand. The fellow who helps me with with tech issues feels the same way. He never went to college since he could make money right away by applying his very useful skills. But he is a negative young man. He trusts no one and cannot hold down a job because he is so angry. I like him because he is honest, but I think he is missing something really important. Spending four or six or eight years studying all sorts of fine things doesn't make one a snob and it sure doesn't impoverish one. In the end, it helps one to escape prejudice as it broadens one's scope. I love that Bruni focuses on Benenson. Queens College! Those city and state schools were and I hope still are wonderful places to learn. Lucky enough to get a big scholarship to a private college -- and I do admit that four years away from NYC did me a lot of good -- I eventually took courses at Purchase College, a NYS institution. My goodness. I went back for more and more. These schools are no longer inexpensive, let alone free, but they're possible. Most of the instructors actually teach and they mentor, too. If ogres like Rick Scott have their way, a truly healthy experience will be closed to anyone who doesn't know, at age 17, precisely what he or she wants to do with his or her life.
Iif being American means canceling the value of the humanities, we're not a civilization worth saving.
Iif being American means canceling the value of the humanities, we're not a civilization worth saving.
12
I highly recommend travel if you can. When I did that in the early 70s, I was able to go around the world with, as the song says, "my knapsack on my back." My BFF is 10 years younger, and she did that in the 80s. I learned a couple of new languages that way, met some marvelous people, including my Cape Verdean husband. I was just a poor girl from the prairie, the daughter of a farmer, who attended a state school and majored in English. When I got my wanderlust out of my system, I went back for an education degree and taught English for 30 years. Now I am starting law school.
If you can scrape together the money for some nights at a hostel, and the plane fare, you will find there is nothing like travel to enhance your worldview and motivate you.
If you can scrape together the money for some nights at a hostel, and the plane fare, you will find there is nothing like travel to enhance your worldview and motivate you.
6
It's easy to point to accomplished individuals who didn't travel a straight path to achieve their incredible success. That doesn't mean that majority who take the same path will achieve that kind of notable success. Naturally, however, no writes articles about their stories.
2
Flawed logic here. Bruni is describing exceptional individuals, so his recommendations constitute a disservice to the average young person.
I love you Frank, but "sound bite" is a broadcasting term of art that specifically refers to an edited segment of an audio or video statement or interview, ideally one that conveys the general meaning of the whole. The journalistic equivalent would be a "grab" or a "pull quote". What a "sound bite" is not per se, is the same thing as an aphorism, a maxim, a proverb, an axiom or a motto. This is just the sort of overbroad, careless, non-specific, shallow understanding and use of language I would expect from an indifferently educated political flack. It is not however, the sort of thing I would expect of you.
Methinks Mr. Berenson's liberal arts education somewhat less rigorous than he presents.
Methinks Mr. Berenson's liberal arts education somewhat less rigorous than he presents.
1
If taking a circuitous rout through life is so good for you, it doesn't speak too well for our two heavy hitters, Jed and Hillary, does it?
Jeb and Hillary have flown laser straight to wealth and power their whole lives, and have let nothing get in their way.
A student actor becomes a Flack for Hillary - I hope he learned to keep a straight face.
Jeb and Hillary have flown laser straight to wealth and power their whole lives, and have let nothing get in their way.
A student actor becomes a Flack for Hillary - I hope he learned to keep a straight face.
1
More policy, less politics.
2
I left college at 18, bounced around for a number of years in jobs from the menial to the professional, met all sorts of interesting people, went to vocational school, got a career that took me to different parts of the world, finally went back to college at the age of 35 to get a degree, then went to grad school and graduated with a new professional direction at the age of 39. I wouldn't have done it any other way.
The straight and narrow works for some and for others it is a straight-jacket. It isn't always easy to find your own way, but it can be rich and satisfying in its own way. Don't let others choose your path for you.
The straight and narrow works for some and for others it is a straight-jacket. It isn't always easy to find your own way, but it can be rich and satisfying in its own way. Don't let others choose your path for you.
5
I love this article-- so Taoist in action. I earned a Ph.D. in geography because I wanted to be a scholar. Instead, I joined a Fortune 500 firm and learned how to export American-goods to Asia. Then, one day in 1982 riding on the RR train from Queens to Manhattan, I read a New York Times article about consulting as a viable way to make a living. In 1983, I set up my own business as an international business consultant. This is my 32nd year of my practice and I'm glad I had read that article on a crowded RR.
4
Serendipity and wandering around to find yourself are nice if you can afford it. Unfortunately, unless you are born into a rich family, that is not possible. For Benenson, college was free, and when my parents went to school, you could pay your way though school by working. These days, a college degree costs tens of thousands of dollars in debts, which you can't pay off without one of those lucrative careers. And the jobs that don't require a college degree are fewer and much lower paying, so it is difficult to succeed in life without it. It would be nice to not have to plan out a path to near immediate success after college, but with college costs and the job market as it is, that is not affordable. Debt collectors don't take satisfaction as payment.
3
"The key will be identifying what you are passionate about in each of those steps along the way."
Tis a wonderful thing when a light turns on
May it shine bright thereon
Lighting through empty space' great expanse
Why then listeneth thou to thy mindless metrics in this stance?
Tis a wonderful thing when a light turns on
May it shine bright thereon
Lighting through empty space' great expanse
Why then listeneth thou to thy mindless metrics in this stance?
2
I do like Franks stuff but I'm afraid one of the reasons I like him got in the way on this one. I don't know the primary subject of the article. He could be the perfect hail fellow well met but I do know that a haphazard career path is simply not financially realistic anymore. Their are lots of edifying things you can do with an accounting degree foremost among them is get a job and form your own family.
As for the two examples I guess the less said the better. It is not that Jarrot and Axelrod are not nice people Frank it is that they are not good ones. And if thats strong so be it but electioneering does not attract good people and the ones that are decent do not make it a lifes profession. God bless you Frank really but if you think Valerie Jarrot is getting dinged in the paycheck for all her wonderful advice on Iran name me one think tank denizen doing the same thing that has his/her own Secret Service detail to include free transportation food lodging transferable pension savings. She is doing fine. If the world doesn't blow up because of the Iran deal she'll even get to spend it.
As for the two examples I guess the less said the better. It is not that Jarrot and Axelrod are not nice people Frank it is that they are not good ones. And if thats strong so be it but electioneering does not attract good people and the ones that are decent do not make it a lifes profession. God bless you Frank really but if you think Valerie Jarrot is getting dinged in the paycheck for all her wonderful advice on Iran name me one think tank denizen doing the same thing that has his/her own Secret Service detail to include free transportation food lodging transferable pension savings. She is doing fine. If the world doesn't blow up because of the Iran deal she'll even get to spend it.
2
I'm surprised and disappointed in Bruni's column today. While extolling the virtues of critical thinking, his logic lacks just that. He is data-dredging--citing success stories from his circle of professionals, largely pols, and their strong liberal arts education and meandering career paths to make a case for humanities, the arts and career choices based on passion, not job alignment. These are anecdotes, cited to refute data, like Senators who hold up snow balls to C-SPAN cameras to prove that Climate Change is a fiction.
It is naive and, dare I say, immoral to tell young people not borne of privilege to major in Drama or Literature or Psychology if our goal as a society is to help them have a better life than their parents. Steering a young person into a low-paying career lessens the odds that they will be happier, let alone more financially secure, than their parents. It's an easy philosophy to espouse if you are Oprah or Frank Bruni. But for a young person struggling to eke out a decent life, who doesn't have Oprah's staff, or even basic resiliency and self-efficacy, charting out an education path aligned with a good job based on statistical data is not proscriptive. To the contrary, when the delta between a 4-year degree in STEM and one not in STEM approaches $20,000/year, steering people toward good-paying jobs is the right thing to do and the only way to preserve a middle class in our country.
Never has a column about critical thinking been so lacking in it.
It is naive and, dare I say, immoral to tell young people not borne of privilege to major in Drama or Literature or Psychology if our goal as a society is to help them have a better life than their parents. Steering a young person into a low-paying career lessens the odds that they will be happier, let alone more financially secure, than their parents. It's an easy philosophy to espouse if you are Oprah or Frank Bruni. But for a young person struggling to eke out a decent life, who doesn't have Oprah's staff, or even basic resiliency and self-efficacy, charting out an education path aligned with a good job based on statistical data is not proscriptive. To the contrary, when the delta between a 4-year degree in STEM and one not in STEM approaches $20,000/year, steering people toward good-paying jobs is the right thing to do and the only way to preserve a middle class in our country.
Never has a column about critical thinking been so lacking in it.
12
"Never" is a good word for a critical thinker to avoid...
3
Back in 2008 Obama came to our depressed former manufacturing town in Pennsylvania to campaign. After the talk I got to shake his hand and told him he better get sharper at using sound bites in his debates with Hillary. His nuanced answers were accurate but failing to stimulate. He stopped for moment and asked me to explain. He said he would think about that and moved on. I was impressed that he appeared to actually listen but who knows. He does love to give detailed complex answers to complex problems. Voters love and remember sound bites. At any rate he went on to win the primary and the election and I am thankful.
4
I was born in 1931. Too young for WWII, I enlisted in the Army in 1949 at 17. I served in the Korean War as a medic. I was discharged in 1952 and went to college on the GI Bill and worked in the local hospital laboratory to supplement the GI Bill to attend college. The Army gave me the training and experience to be able to have the hospital job. After graduation I went into the Medical Device Industry and retired in 1992. I rose to be the VP of the company. I was lucky to enter a workforce in the mid Fifties when there were so many job opportunities and so little competition for the jobs due to the low birth rate of the Great Depression years and the War years with low births and lots of combat deaths and grave disabilities. It is difficult to brag about having been a commercial success with so much going in ones favor but it does show how much luck and serendipity can play in someone's life who grew up poor in the Pennsylvania coalfields. Today, our youth face much more daunting odds to have a good paying job and raise a family in fiscal comfort if that is their desire.
6
V. Jarrett's "advice" to the president has had a lot to do with his failures. The allusion in this piece to such advisers being "successful" is beyond comprehension, as they have poisoned the presidency and caused Mr. Obama to vastly under-deliver his promises.
1
The America that Betenson (and I in 1971) graduated into was vastly different from today's dystopian wasteland characterized in other fraught articles in the Times about the angst of college students and their parents about studies, colleges and career choices.
The experimental, picaresque career paths depicted here dosed by serendipity and luck depend on (1) an inexpensive education not burdened by crippling levels of debt and (2) a robust choice of job opportunities for young college graduates. Neither exists anymore in America due to the political and economic choices foisted upon us by the 0.01% plutocracy.
So, the best conventional wisdom advice is that which we see documented in this newspaper for bright young kids is (1) get into the most expensive, "prestigious" brand name college or university you can (probably only a couple dozen qualify) purely for the credential, not an education and then (2) choose a career in finance or investment banking where the money is.
p.s. And despite the propaganda, don't bother with STEM and high tech. Competing with H1-B visa holders and offshore job shops is no sure career path
The experimental, picaresque career paths depicted here dosed by serendipity and luck depend on (1) an inexpensive education not burdened by crippling levels of debt and (2) a robust choice of job opportunities for young college graduates. Neither exists anymore in America due to the political and economic choices foisted upon us by the 0.01% plutocracy.
So, the best conventional wisdom advice is that which we see documented in this newspaper for bright young kids is (1) get into the most expensive, "prestigious" brand name college or university you can (probably only a couple dozen qualify) purely for the credential, not an education and then (2) choose a career in finance or investment banking where the money is.
p.s. And despite the propaganda, don't bother with STEM and high tech. Competing with H1-B visa holders and offshore job shops is no sure career path
8
i too found higher education a valuable experience. But readers who take Benenson's story as an endorsement of higher education miss the deeper point: don't look for a road map to happiness or success. The one-size-fits-all approach to life decisions is an unfortunate but necessary part of most government policies. i rue that so many of us see so much of life through the lens of political thought.
Thanks for reminding us, again, that the broad social assumptions that underlie so much political rhetoric are almost never true.
Thanks for reminding us, again, that the broad social assumptions that underlie so much political rhetoric are almost never true.
2
Benenson is obviously exceptionally intelligent and talented--he would likely have succeeded whatever path he took. It is reckless to use him as an example for most people who are not brilliant, and, have financial responsibilities that can't wait. Many families can't afford the opportunity cost of 4 years in college--but whose children still find success and actualization.
2
Born and raised in the Caribbean under a British education system. Worked construction in oil fields. Emigrated to the U.S. At 25. Community college in the Minnesota tundra. BA at a small university through academic scholarship. Graduate school for theater in Michigan and Illinois. MFA. Taught at universities in Florida, program in Vietnam. Today work in film & television. That's my meandering path. Lots of waypoints left out.
"Learn how to learn" is the best thing we can teach to anyone. That gives a foundation to be successful, however you define it.
--Try to be useful, so many people are purely decorative.--Garrison Keillor
--Better to be a solitary goat, than one of the sheep herded by wolves. --The N.
"Learn how to learn" is the best thing we can teach to anyone. That gives a foundation to be successful, however you define it.
--Try to be useful, so many people are purely decorative.--Garrison Keillor
--Better to be a solitary goat, than one of the sheep herded by wolves. --The N.
3
"Parsing 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth' gave him an 'understanding of the rhythm and nuance of language,' he explained."
That's it?
Given that your title is "From 'Hamlet' to Hillary", you might have pressed him on this point.
You seem to want to praise the value of literature. You're not doing a very good job.
That's it?
Given that your title is "From 'Hamlet' to Hillary", you might have pressed him on this point.
You seem to want to praise the value of literature. You're not doing a very good job.
This is an absolutely useless piece; Why is the NYT wasting a precious sunday space on an expose of some behind the scene guy who I do not know or care to know about? I'm I suppose to gleam some kind of nugget of insight about the campaign from this? No, this is about unconventional paths to success, ok great, we all know that, but using Hillary in the title to talk about.. (drum rolls please) Benenson! What? Who? We just had a candidate jump in to challenge Hillary this week- whom is unknown to a lot of people- but you wouldn't know it by looking at the oped stories. But I should know about Benenson right? what a joke. This is a blog story at best.
3
At 16 and 17 I thought college was for crazy people. I was much too restless to go. I dropped out of high school after missing too many weeks and months going into Manhattan to libraries and galleries and movies and plays and bookstores. I would sit in Central Park all day and read the newspapers and magazines and people watching. I didn't go college until my thirties and finished my undergrad and masters in just a couple years at 35 and began teaching elementary.
I was in love with the world and was half right in my approach.
But I was half wrong too: my daughter has as many passions as I did at my age, is as restless and voracious and thirsty for experience as I was at her age but she's all about school and youth orchestras and recitals and model UN conferences and being in school everyday, taking mandarin and french and starting up at Bowdoin in the fall. She is half right too, and half wrong too.
All of us get to make these delicious choices and all of us are giving up other amazing choices and paths and experiences when we do.
If one believes in plurality, then it is impossible to decide one choice is the right one, right?
I was in love with the world and was half right in my approach.
But I was half wrong too: my daughter has as many passions as I did at my age, is as restless and voracious and thirsty for experience as I was at her age but she's all about school and youth orchestras and recitals and model UN conferences and being in school everyday, taking mandarin and french and starting up at Bowdoin in the fall. She is half right too, and half wrong too.
All of us get to make these delicious choices and all of us are giving up other amazing choices and paths and experiences when we do.
If one believes in plurality, then it is impossible to decide one choice is the right one, right?
3
Joel Benson and Valerie Jarret's career paths vindicate your op-ed about Liberal Arts, a few weeks ago is'nt it. But that was then, and this is now. Even then, how many successful Joel Bensons, Valerie Jarrets, David Axelrods, David Plouffes and Frank Brunis do we know of? ' Don't think about what you want to do for the rest of your life, think about what you want to do next ". Really! There is no next if there is a no now. I am a physician and I would'nt have become one if I had'nt decided very early on, to become one and wanting to help others. And my writing skills, although a lot less than desired, can string a few sentences and can quote Shakespeare sometimes. I know a lot about politics, the environment and global disarray ( for one, I would not get the wrong country to go to war ). But I have a fulfilling day job which allows me to provide for my family. My daughter is fine and flourishing. She is a Science Major. As for my son, it is a big ?. He is a liberal Arts Major and is constantly quoting Shakespeare. To what end though?
1
"I was a businessman so my son could be a doctor so my daughter could be a poet." It is indeed a fine thing that your son can quote Shakespeare, Dr. NI. A graduate or professional degree can always come later. I'm 66 and just starting law school after decades as 5th grade teacher and Kerouacian-style traveler. Be proud of your young man.
1
The world we live in, the one in which the ability to spin things, to create a sensation around a bit of technological fluff with nothing at its center but more fluff, that's the world synthesized by the Joe Benenson's and David Axelrod's. It the world extolled by hollow, celebrity-obsessed television. Is Mr. Benenson's self-invention something to be emulated?
1
So how do we get passed the HR and headhunter palace guard who insist on plain vanilla, linear paths for almost any reasonably paid job? You need exactly this many years doing exactly this kind of work. Leonardo daVinci would be in big trouble today - couldn't get an interview for an entry position today.
4
That's nice, Frank, but how do they feel about Libya? If, like me, they supported Barack Obama because they thought he was the one who wouldn't do more stupid wars, are they disappointed? Libya is a tragedy and Obama is responsible.
3
He the kind if person our founders envisioned.
2
Mr. Benenson Comes from a different world. It doesn't exist any more. Parents cannot support their kids on one salary and few kids get to go to college for nothing. The most unfortunate thing about this column is that it shows how really cut off from how the rest of us live now members of the political elite are.
4
"...his 'value as a pollster' is his ability to write questions in the language of these men and women and to hear the answers accurately."
Just for the record, I'm one of "these men and women". And my "language" is English. I'd enjoy reading an opinion poll informed by Harold Pinter's plays. Maybe Mr. Berenson could write one up and Mr. Bruni could publish it in his next column.
Just for the record, I'm one of "these men and women". And my "language" is English. I'd enjoy reading an opinion poll informed by Harold Pinter's plays. Maybe Mr. Berenson could write one up and Mr. Bruni could publish it in his next column.
1
My life follows similar trajectory.
Fine arts to Engineering, with a lover and gift of music. Hendrix, Clapton, and the Rolling Stones are my Shakespeare
Fine arts to Engineering, with a lover and gift of music. Hendrix, Clapton, and the Rolling Stones are my Shakespeare
3
The idea that the richness of our human history, the achievements of mind, heart, and spirit in our literatures and pasts, should be reserved as a gift and guide for the well-off--while those of lower classes should receive training as mere parts of the economic machines grinding always about us--well, that's a horrible idea. It was what the old aristocrats believed, too, and part of the reason they saw the lower classes as brute animals, unaware and different from themselves in quality and worth.
People who think they're doing poor or middle-class students a favor by "streamlining" them out of a deep, wide knowledge of our shared heritage as humans are really harming them in ways I can hardly begin to count.
People who think they're doing poor or middle-class students a favor by "streamlining" them out of a deep, wide knowledge of our shared heritage as humans are really harming them in ways I can hardly begin to count.
11
Anecdotal evidence is fascinating, but still anecdotal. Certainly when he was 6, one could hardly have imagined that a kid from a working class family in Yonkers like me would end up happily teaching English in Tokyo for over 30 years. No one could have imagined that he would be an exchange student to West Berlin at age 14, majoring in German and Poli Sci at NYU and Ohio State and teaching German in a town of 17,000 in Missouri at a university which amazingly had a sister relationship with a major university in Tokyo. However, just like that of the Clintonites mentioned here, my example is just an anecdote. Perhaps political polling and journalism are professions that one can enter in the manner these men did. How many other professions can one succeed in just by being a good communicator and an ambitious go-getter? How many adults are indeed in careers for which they planned since they were children? More or fewer than the number of Benensons and Plouffes in our country? Can one count on ending up doing something that will support a family if one just thinks about "what you want to do next"? Suppose tens of millions of young people just did what they wanted _next_. Would everything eventually fall into place for them like it has for the Clinton advisers? This is not to discount the need to learn to communicate effectively, of course. The Clintons and our president, to present the anecdotal counterexamples, seem to have done so in the prescribed way Mr. Benenson eschewed.
1
Is Frank Bruni pushing finding your passion too hard? Reading this piece, it comes off that way as an alternative sure ticket to success. Better, in my view, would be to argue for taking risks, failing, and moving on from there. Some examples of people who tried that and were not all that successful, measured by income or notoriety, would be useful. Are they still out there trying or did they have their wings clipped? There is a real problem in methodology with cherry picking winners after the fact and then inferring that the path they followed will work for everyone else.
I agree with this column. But one of the problems today for young people seeking employment is that employers generally won't consider an applicant who doesn't have the specific school training for a particular job. Liberal arts graduates don't even get an interview. Some find a good job, but most end up with minimum wage positions or starting their own entrepreneurial companies. A few really succeed.
1
Like Joel Benenson, I also grew up in Queens and went to Queens College. When I was registering for my first semester, the clerk asked me what my major was. and I told him I was undecided, but that I was considering Physics, Mathematics, English and Philosophy. He said, "I can't put down undecided, and you should probably choose Math, because the Physics labs here are not well equipped, and if you major in Philosophy or English you'll never get a decent job." During my first two years as a Math major and having taken two fascinating philosophy courses, I went to see the chairman of the Philosophy Department, and when I told him that I wanted to become a Philosophy major he said, "Take Philosophy courses if you want, but I advise you to stay a Math major because there are very few jobs in Philosophy." I also spoke to the chairman of the English Department, who told me something similar, and as a result I remained a Math major. Although I have had what many would consider a very successful career, I often regret having made a career decision before I had more fully explored a number of other options. My advice to parents and students is, at the very least, use the first two years of college to taste a wide variety of the fruits from the tree of knowledge.
3
As someone in his seventh decade on this spinning blue marble, I found wandering during my formative years to be quite rewarding. Of course then everything seemed simpler, more relaxed, and far more flexible.
I along with many of my contemporaries did not know what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives, even in college. We gave rehearsed answers to a very complex question to our parents and their friends, mostly to reassure them we did not plan on being bums, although, hanging out, smoking pot, and listening to extended jams by our favorite bands in the Sixties did pose an interesting concept.
If only there was a way to make money, enough to enjoy life. Dreams of living the life of Keith Richards, who never worked at a real job, sounded like the ultimate cool profession. High pay, no heavy lifting. And the benefits, well, they were priceless.
But alas we grow up and older and realize we'll have to revert to our fallback position. Get a degree, then an advanced one, and begin to plod our way through the maze acquiring at least the minimum material possessions which would lead us to living The Good Life. If we were also able to parlay that into living a Life Worth Living, all the better.
As I look at my children and grand children they are successful in the material world but lack the depth of critical thought and contemplation I experienced concerning the world around me. They are in such a rush to get ahead they have little time to enjoy now.
D.D.
Manhattan
I along with many of my contemporaries did not know what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives, even in college. We gave rehearsed answers to a very complex question to our parents and their friends, mostly to reassure them we did not plan on being bums, although, hanging out, smoking pot, and listening to extended jams by our favorite bands in the Sixties did pose an interesting concept.
If only there was a way to make money, enough to enjoy life. Dreams of living the life of Keith Richards, who never worked at a real job, sounded like the ultimate cool profession. High pay, no heavy lifting. And the benefits, well, they were priceless.
But alas we grow up and older and realize we'll have to revert to our fallback position. Get a degree, then an advanced one, and begin to plod our way through the maze acquiring at least the minimum material possessions which would lead us to living The Good Life. If we were also able to parlay that into living a Life Worth Living, all the better.
As I look at my children and grand children they are successful in the material world but lack the depth of critical thought and contemplation I experienced concerning the world around me. They are in such a rush to get ahead they have little time to enjoy now.
D.D.
Manhattan
5
Very interesting article. This is the old "Give me a fish and I will eat for today vs. Give me a fishing pole and I will eat for the rest of my life".
The purpose of a liberal arts education was and maybe still is- I graduated 40 years ago- to give the students the tools to live a well rounded life by having some knowledge of many things- science, art history, a foreign language and a "major" where you concentrated on one thing, for example French or English thought to be totally useless after you graduated.
Now due to the cost of education this is not necessarily possible and worried parents want their children to have goals and a job when they get out. Of course, the economy happened and many recent grads are living in Mom's basement trying to find their way.
The purpose of a liberal arts education was and maybe still is- I graduated 40 years ago- to give the students the tools to live a well rounded life by having some knowledge of many things- science, art history, a foreign language and a "major" where you concentrated on one thing, for example French or English thought to be totally useless after you graduated.
Now due to the cost of education this is not necessarily possible and worried parents want their children to have goals and a job when they get out. Of course, the economy happened and many recent grads are living in Mom's basement trying to find their way.
2
Although I agree that we have lost something of deep and lasting value in the liberal arts education. When I was in college, it was just transitioning from a place to explore your unique strengths to a simple career training track. I chose the former and majored in music with a minor in biology. Those who went into business majors are doing far better than I did.
I wish that kids today had the luxury of exploring the arts and humanities. I am not a parent, but when kids come to me and ask if they should major in biology with an eye to research (I was a research scientist for 15 years) I tell them "no". Even in so-called STEM tracks there is a massive glut of qualified people. Where that leaves humanities students is even more worrying.
The point is this: We are creating generation of automatons that are being trained to respond to the command "Jump!" with "How high?" There is no depth, no analytical thinking, just mindless obedience. I had the "luxury" of exploring my interests and strengths, but in today's world I have payed a steep price financially. For every Benenson today, there are 100, or perhaps 1000 more like me who despite extensive educations (Ph.D. from a medical school) haven't thrived financially.
But parental advice needs to be based on the reality of the times. The 1% truly have us where they want us. How high do you want me to jump today?
I wish that kids today had the luxury of exploring the arts and humanities. I am not a parent, but when kids come to me and ask if they should major in biology with an eye to research (I was a research scientist for 15 years) I tell them "no". Even in so-called STEM tracks there is a massive glut of qualified people. Where that leaves humanities students is even more worrying.
The point is this: We are creating generation of automatons that are being trained to respond to the command "Jump!" with "How high?" There is no depth, no analytical thinking, just mindless obedience. I had the "luxury" of exploring my interests and strengths, but in today's world I have payed a steep price financially. For every Benenson today, there are 100, or perhaps 1000 more like me who despite extensive educations (Ph.D. from a medical school) haven't thrived financially.
But parental advice needs to be based on the reality of the times. The 1% truly have us where they want us. How high do you want me to jump today?
6
I'm loath to enter a comment lest i be confused with the passel of cynics here before me. What I see is a regular guy advising Hillary. Whatever else you can say about her, she started out as a school girl from a modest family. And when she met Bill, she already had a career ahead of her, which continues today. Most important, Hillary will replace Scalia wit a more modest jurist, bringing the Court in from the reactionary weeds to the modest center where this country has been for much of its history -- where money is not speech and corporations are not people.
2
This is such an important article. Everyone in, near, or associated with college should read it.
For persons with mild dyslexia and other visual processing disorders that affect reading, here is a cascading-phrase layout version of the same text. This will help them read and remember the content better.
http://www.liveink.com/Walker/From_Hamlet_To_Hillary.htm
For persons with mild dyslexia and other visual processing disorders that affect reading, here is a cascading-phrase layout version of the same text. This will help them read and remember the content better.
http://www.liveink.com/Walker/From_Hamlet_To_Hillary.htm
1
Such a life is indeed enviable. But Berenson did not live in a world where there was a relentless assault on liberal arts education, and as others have pointed out, where higher education was prohibitively expensive.
Hopefully, those for whom he campaigns intend to restore access to such a meandering way of life for the majority to enable them to truly find themselves.
Polonius tells his son ; "…above all to thine own self be true." In today's corporatocracy there may be practical constraints that Berenson did not face.
Berenson may also remind Hillary Clinton of this maxim, as she stumbles and stutters to articulate her views on the TPP and some of the issues where Bernie Sanders is unequivocal.
Or will he tell her to be true to herself once she's elected? And what will it mean? Hiring Wall Street insiders who know economics? Or listening to the likes of Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman?
Hopefully, those for whom he campaigns intend to restore access to such a meandering way of life for the majority to enable them to truly find themselves.
Polonius tells his son ; "…above all to thine own self be true." In today's corporatocracy there may be practical constraints that Berenson did not face.
Berenson may also remind Hillary Clinton of this maxim, as she stumbles and stutters to articulate her views on the TPP and some of the issues where Bernie Sanders is unequivocal.
Or will he tell her to be true to herself once she's elected? And what will it mean? Hiring Wall Street insiders who know economics? Or listening to the likes of Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman?
1
To the honest, Hamlet bores me with his to Be or not to Be - let it be and enough already, but if that what it takes to help Mrs. Hillary Clinton to surge ahead and establish an understanding that she is not Lady Macbeth, that's cricket with me. It's slow going for this American to figure out the meaning of 'misgraffed' but perhaps one day I will go to college and find out.
I like the sound of Mr. Benenson who does not use sound-bytes. The Guinness Beer of Records goes to the affable Mr. Jeb Bush who relates to a delighted audience in sweet bites: 'The Failed President' or 'Bubba', shaking his head with farcical applause in the background.
This American has yet to learn English but I can try, and also try to din some French into the heads of teenagers because knowledge of a second language is all to the good. I still have not decided what I want to do for the rest of my life, but reading Bryson's Shakespeare is a treat, and as for finding oneself, this can be a long journey and I hope that Mr. Benenson likes what he discovers at the end.
Let's get our Children to learn how to read and write, all of them, for starters, and as for Mr. Benenson, he sounds better than fine. Sending him some cakes and ale on this Spring day, with best wishes for continuing success in his personal and professional achievements.
I like the sound of Mr. Benenson who does not use sound-bytes. The Guinness Beer of Records goes to the affable Mr. Jeb Bush who relates to a delighted audience in sweet bites: 'The Failed President' or 'Bubba', shaking his head with farcical applause in the background.
This American has yet to learn English but I can try, and also try to din some French into the heads of teenagers because knowledge of a second language is all to the good. I still have not decided what I want to do for the rest of my life, but reading Bryson's Shakespeare is a treat, and as for finding oneself, this can be a long journey and I hope that Mr. Benenson likes what he discovers at the end.
Let's get our Children to learn how to read and write, all of them, for starters, and as for Mr. Benenson, he sounds better than fine. Sending him some cakes and ale on this Spring day, with best wishes for continuing success in his personal and professional achievements.
2
Anecdotes of a few extremely successful people who reinvented their careers in mid-life don't answer the question: How are you going to pay the bills when you graduate? What will your first job be?
Most people have ordinary talents, and can only hope for ordinary careers. The problem is getting on any career track at all, with a job that can support a family in modest comfort.
Too many of those theater majors are unemployed, or working at near-minimum wage. That's the fate parents want their children to avoid.
Most people have ordinary talents, and can only hope for ordinary careers. The problem is getting on any career track at all, with a job that can support a family in modest comfort.
Too many of those theater majors are unemployed, or working at near-minimum wage. That's the fate parents want their children to avoid.
1
Yet in the end, they're all still millionaires sitting beside power people.
Sometimes 4 little words in the embrace of parentheses ring a clarion call: "David Axelrod was a journalist for a long time before he became a political operative. (Yes, there’s a difference.) "
Wow.
Some of Frank Bruni's colleagues might read the parenthetical comment and gaze in a mirror before they type another column.
Wow.
Some of Frank Bruni's colleagues might read the parenthetical comment and gaze in a mirror before they type another column.
I wholeheartedly agree that college should be "about learning how to think critically, learning how to write and communicate your ideas.” I would only add that it should also be about learning how to work effectively with others--to lead when you can and to support leadership when you can't.
Too many of my bright and talented college students think the highest indication of their worth is how they perform individually. But there's no such job in the real world. Everyone works on a team now. Those who are proficient, effective collaborators get more opportunities to show what they can do. If you only think about yourself, the doors shut quickly.
Too many of my bright and talented college students think the highest indication of their worth is how they perform individually. But there's no such job in the real world. Everyone works on a team now. Those who are proficient, effective collaborators get more opportunities to show what they can do. If you only think about yourself, the doors shut quickly.
3
Sometimes if you follow blindly the one goal set you do miss other chances. I was set on one goal in my high school years: get an advanced degree and teach English and American lit. College and a bit more wisdom and the accidents of fate made me question that, and suddenly at 22 I veered and fled to NYC to seek fame and fortune, finding neither but having a ball. Didn’t get the career in publishing that I had vaguely hoped for but ended up in the Journalism Library at Columbia (better that than starve), got a MS in librarianship, and worked in government documents (certainly never planned that!) for the rest of my time at CU. Then at 50 veered again, tossed career aside, and returned with my friend Tom to the house in Alabama where I grew up. Took care of older relatives (mine and Tom’s), fell into a part-time job in local PO to help pay the bills, mowed grass, lived with and loved two great dogs Huck and Roscoe, loved and took care of my friend Tom during his last 18 years, eventually started writing which I had always wanted to do. Again no fame and fortune, but again I had a ball! Had to give up a lot: travel, NYC itself, theater and dance, the better booze and wine. Never been a CEO or a politician (just lucky, I guess). Never got rich, but manage to be happier than I ever expected to be. I’m even managing to live within my retirement and SS income while eating well, enjoying books and movies, and even ending up at the end of the month with a little $$ saved!
5
Thank you Mr. Bruni for continuing this vein of thought. I have always thought a liberal arts education "trained" you for everything. My son is entering college to study art history, a passion he discovered in high school.
6
Beneson now inhabits a world of slogans, focus groups and opinion surveys, seems contradictory to an approach to life that is not formulaic and is the height of calculated plotting with too little serendipity. If Beneson believes as you write in genuine and spontaneous thoughts and approaches why did he go work for politicians like just about nearly everyone who has run for president or congress for that matter in the last 50 years.. If he wants a non-calculated approach, a what you see is what you get person, far better to hitch his wagon to Bernie Sanders. Sanders for president.
5
The problem with the soundbites employed in politics is not their brevity, but their insincerity, glibness, dishonesty and evasiveness.
10
Good point, but speaking of pithy sound bites: Lennon said it all succinctly decades ago: life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.
As an educator and parent I have always said: follow your passion; know yourself better if you have no passion. And I have always said to teachers: you are not in the teaching business; you are in the talent development business.
As an educator and parent I have always said: follow your passion; know yourself better if you have no passion. And I have always said to teachers: you are not in the teaching business; you are in the talent development business.
7
I read your column with mixed feelings. Now in my 60s, my 20s were spent globe trotting, trying this and that, and having a wonderful time. I was able to marry, go to grad school, buy a house on my husband’s GI bill, and continue to have interesting jobs while providing for retirement. A lot of luck was involved, not least of which was the era I was born into.
I don't see that with my children or the children of our friends and family. Now in their 20s up to early 50s, they are struggling harder than we did. They've not moved out of their starter homes, by and large, and are unable to provide much help to their own college-age kids. Their jobs are dull, and their vision, ambitions and dreams limited by the new, unforgiving economy. I don’t have any answers, but I do understand parents not wanting kids with $100K in college loans to major in philosophy. And we’re all the poorer for that reality.
I don't see that with my children or the children of our friends and family. Now in their 20s up to early 50s, they are struggling harder than we did. They've not moved out of their starter homes, by and large, and are unable to provide much help to their own college-age kids. Their jobs are dull, and their vision, ambitions and dreams limited by the new, unforgiving economy. I don’t have any answers, but I do understand parents not wanting kids with $100K in college loans to major in philosophy. And we’re all the poorer for that reality.
10
"By indirection [we] find direction out." Hamlet
3
I teach at a University where a large percentage of its students majoring in Business also have a second major, typically the liberal arts. Even though they are sometimes criticized by non-business faculty for not being all-in to the "life of the mind'" they rightly recognize nonsense when they hear it. I don't believe they see business as a mindless activity, or any less virtuous or rigorous than philosophy or art history.
1
If only it were financially wise to follow a liberal arts track through college nowadays, the gains for individuals would continue to be enormous throughout their lives, as they were for me, but that's just impossible nowadays when so many decent private colleges and universities charge $50,000 or even more per year.
Graduates are saddled with gigantic debts that they must pay off. With significant changes in the bankruptcy law (thanks for nothing, Republicans), you just don't have the option to step out from under what becomes the most pressing problem of your young life, the need to pay it all back at serious rates of interest. Want to stop paying your school loans? The banks will garnish your wages. How's that for career advancement?
So if you do borrow literally hundreds of thousands of dollar for an education, it has to lead to a career that will enable you to stay afloat through the next 10 or 20 years of your life, all to pay the bank. Mobility? Forget about it. You're a wage slave with next to no disposable income and there's no way out until you're in your 40's, if you're lucky and have fallen into a position that enables you to feed a thousand dollars to the bank every month.
Graduates are saddled with gigantic debts that they must pay off. With significant changes in the bankruptcy law (thanks for nothing, Republicans), you just don't have the option to step out from under what becomes the most pressing problem of your young life, the need to pay it all back at serious rates of interest. Want to stop paying your school loans? The banks will garnish your wages. How's that for career advancement?
So if you do borrow literally hundreds of thousands of dollar for an education, it has to lead to a career that will enable you to stay afloat through the next 10 or 20 years of your life, all to pay the bank. Mobility? Forget about it. You're a wage slave with next to no disposable income and there's no way out until you're in your 40's, if you're lucky and have fallen into a position that enables you to feed a thousand dollars to the bank every month.
2
The truths in today's column are a real joy to read! Education enriches our lives, it should not be narrowly confined to money making pursuits; being human is much more than making money.
4
"Otherwise, he said, “I think you don’t discover yourself.”" I hope FB does enough to discover himself. His heading and his first line mention Hillary,and then zilch. We know he doesn't like her. We know he's a Republican, but that he moans about the anti-Gay attitudes and policies of the people he supports--which means he supports their anti-poor and anti-women policies. Never mind their anti-science mentalitiees, whcih now they wish to transform into budgetary policy. No wonder he dislikes Hillary--she articulates the poverty of GOP policies so easily.
A column that pretends to be about career and life, but leaves political partisanship hanging, says the writer has a way to go.
A column that pretends to be about career and life, but leaves political partisanship hanging, says the writer has a way to go.
1
Of course I believe in the basic premise of this column. I see it clearly in my own life and my children's lives. HOWEVER...it clearly loses sight of the fact that the nature of our country and the world has changed dramatically over the last 30 or 40 years. The power has shifted, our Citizen's United land now going full bore to an international, corporate controlled one (NAFTA, TPP/TPA, etc, etc). We are not focusing on what is best for our society and culture but on what is most efficient for it's shareholders and that proverbial but REAL .1%. So, the very road our bumps are taken on is in disrepair, both figuratively and literally, and so are our children's futures. Alas poor Bruni...
2
Frank, given a choice, I'd advise my children to get a liberal arts degree and then go to grad school for professional training. At $50,000 (or even $20K) a year, that's just not possible. The middle- and upper- middle class are terrified--There are several families in our very high-achieving neighborhood whose (graduate) children can't find any kind of work--so they're going for another degree and living in their parents' basement. As a former English/Anthropology major, I agree wholeheartedly with just about everything you write on this topic; but this is. not. twenty or thirty years ago: there are more kids, and they are chillingly competitive, and there's way less money. (I did the math: to send our child to a private college @ ~ $50K/yr, we'd have had to save a thousand dollars a month since the day he was born. That didn't happen.) Find a way to pay for school, or repay loans without becoming an indentured servant, and then we'll talk.
3
You have delved into the debate concerning a liberal education and I concur it is very useful and can be rewarding. One problem is student loans muddle it up.
If you are going to college from a working or middle-class family you need to make sure you get a good paying job soon after graduation and usually the technician does better financially right after graduation.
A liberal education has become a luxury of the wealthy.
If you are going to college from a working or middle-class family you need to make sure you get a good paying job soon after graduation and usually the technician does better financially right after graduation.
A liberal education has become a luxury of the wealthy.
2
Those Shakespeare texts will likely come in handy when dealing with the Clintons, especially Macbeth.
If you're looking for a president whose hands drip with the blood of innocents, there's certainly a more apt candidate for the role than Clinton.
"Go to this venerable college. Pursue that sensible course of study. Tailor your exertions to the looming job market."
Please don't overplay and overwork your important attention to this line of reasoning. You're too young to become like David Brooks, injecting one line of thought into almost everything you write. Be like the best comedians who even though they know a joke is sure to produce a laugh, resist the temptation to do so anyway.
Please don't overplay and overwork your important attention to this line of reasoning. You're too young to become like David Brooks, injecting one line of thought into almost everything you write. Be like the best comedians who even though they know a joke is sure to produce a laugh, resist the temptation to do so anyway.
Because I am a social scientist who studies issues, hence do not merely give opinions based on few anecdotal experience and shallow observations, I can say Bruni is "an inspirational speaker for the minority within a minority, the failed, failing, and for the guy who has made it and now is kicking the ladder beneath him". How cunning indeed.
I am one of those who have pursued my passion even when I could have gotten into medical school, high profile business program, engineering colleges: including, MIT or CalTech, easily twenty years ago. Because I am honest and fair, and am economically worse off than mediocre Bruni (who probably got in through his Gay minority status...there I said it), I don't tell people to pursue their "passion this or passion that". Why? Because I have suffered and sacrificed for it...while mediocre people have gone up, including at NYT. In stead I say, "Pursue your passion honestly and with determination, but know there is a high price sometimes for it. Be prepared for that and protect yourself from extreme contingencies and learn to fight the good fight".
I am amazing and have made huge sacrifices to get where my passion took me. I should be worshipped in the US...by the likes of you Bruni. But NOT. I left the country, because things got awful in spite of my amazing achievement and abilities. So quit the pontificating...It's as if the Catholic church never left you though you left it.
I am one of those who have pursued my passion even when I could have gotten into medical school, high profile business program, engineering colleges: including, MIT or CalTech, easily twenty years ago. Because I am honest and fair, and am economically worse off than mediocre Bruni (who probably got in through his Gay minority status...there I said it), I don't tell people to pursue their "passion this or passion that". Why? Because I have suffered and sacrificed for it...while mediocre people have gone up, including at NYT. In stead I say, "Pursue your passion honestly and with determination, but know there is a high price sometimes for it. Be prepared for that and protect yourself from extreme contingencies and learn to fight the good fight".
I am amazing and have made huge sacrifices to get where my passion took me. I should be worshipped in the US...by the likes of you Bruni. But NOT. I left the country, because things got awful in spite of my amazing achievement and abilities. So quit the pontificating...It's as if the Catholic church never left you though you left it.
I wonder if this author will sing the praise of Scott Walker for not taking his last semester in college, or will it teach this author tha Walker is too dumb to succeeed?
I never fell into the "you need college" mindset, and I am pretty much of an intellectual, studying my third language in my sixth decade and never have lived a week without some book, usually history.
That said, "I also never fell into the follow your dream, the best lessons we learned wer on the street" mentality. I loved Shakespeare, but 99% of drop outs would not know a hawk from a handsaw.
The problem with today's school are neither would most university grads, when you can get a degree in English from UCLA never having read on Shakespeare play.
It is the schools like UCLA that are failing.
I never fell into the "you need college" mindset, and I am pretty much of an intellectual, studying my third language in my sixth decade and never have lived a week without some book, usually history.
That said, "I also never fell into the follow your dream, the best lessons we learned wer on the street" mentality. I loved Shakespeare, but 99% of drop outs would not know a hawk from a handsaw.
The problem with today's school are neither would most university grads, when you can get a degree in English from UCLA never having read on Shakespeare play.
It is the schools like UCLA that are failing.
Really a soup of doubts.Freedom is good but surviving is a must mixing both ideal.
1
The irony underlying this column is that Benenson's primary role with HRC is to insure that Hillary stays "on message," and avoid at all costs any sort of impromptu, serendipitous behavior out on the campaign trail.
He also will be a major player in crafting the campaign's messages; in effect, putting words in HRC's mouth. I'd much rather see Benenson still running his beer business and have Hillary following her own course, not someone else's.
He also will be a major player in crafting the campaign's messages; in effect, putting words in HRC's mouth. I'd much rather see Benenson still running his beer business and have Hillary following her own course, not someone else's.
3
The French having a saying: " Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose." And so it is with a society that seems to view people as workers not as people. In my youth people worked on assembly lines doing mind numbing jobs. "Efficiency experts were figuring out how to produce more product. People were replaceable. Many of those working class jobs are now heralded as middles class labor that we somehow have lost. Few of us had a real "EDUCATION." If one came from a "working class," family and read Keats, it was considered remarkable. Language and its rhythms have been the salvation of man. It is what has lifted his soul despite the dehumanizing process of labor. there is a difference between work that is gratifying and that which stultifies. Flipping another burger for minimum wage while trying to raise two kids can do things to the human spirit that no discussion of wages and health care can change. The elite may be afraid that if the laboring class gets an "EDUCATION," that then nothing but mere money will separate them from each other. It is hard to follow the advice of Polonius who is at once a fool and a seer; "To thine own self be true," while laboring for minimum wage at a job that nobody wants. If I have read correctly, it has always been hard to be a human being. Just watch the confusion in Baltimore. What would change if they all read and understood that their suffering is part of a long progression of human indifference shouting out, "Man's inhumanity to man."
3
"The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley" sounds so much more worldly wise and profound than a simple profane "Feces happens!" When I think of Hillary and Bill Clinton I usually conjure Macbeth and his fair lady partner in crime.
1
“Stop making the focus of your kids’ education a job,” he said. “College is about learning how to think critically, learning how to write and communicate your ideas.”
When I went to college (admittedly fifty years ago, and a small, private one at that), my recollection is that that's why I thought I was there, and the faculty at the time supported those concepts.
Lately, some governors give the impression that, at least at the state-funded level, universities are there to be vocational schools; and there's also a tendency to commission studies to measure how much money graduates of colleges and universities are making X-number of years after graduation.
It takes a certain liberation of mind, and courage, to turn Shakespeare into a seemingly unrelated career. And still, those people need disciplined systems analysts to translate their thoughts into number-crunching voter demographics programs.
When I went to college (admittedly fifty years ago, and a small, private one at that), my recollection is that that's why I thought I was there, and the faculty at the time supported those concepts.
Lately, some governors give the impression that, at least at the state-funded level, universities are there to be vocational schools; and there's also a tendency to commission studies to measure how much money graduates of colleges and universities are making X-number of years after graduation.
It takes a certain liberation of mind, and courage, to turn Shakespeare into a seemingly unrelated career. And still, those people need disciplined systems analysts to translate their thoughts into number-crunching voter demographics programs.
5
The reason so many people try to walk the step-by-step path to success in this country is that people are hired from resumes, not as people. It is the same for college admissions: how could any college actually reject me when I was a student without having an interview? How could they know me from numbers and activities alone? The answer is they couldn't, but people are hired in the same way: you've got to present the right profile or you can't get in the door.
I was very lucky at around age 20. Due to persistence, a large dash of naivete (I didn't know it couldn't be done) and good luck, I was given outsized opportunities while still in college. Then, since people got to know me, more opportunities bloomed. I was put on a fast elevator ride that could have led to a CEO's job, or major management responsibilities for a large company, while still in my 20s. I wasn't just a resume, I was a hot property known to others and in demand, despite my lack of a big name college on my CV. It was fun.
Being the first in my family to go to college, I guess I always had to believe in chance and good fortune. Professor and writer William Deresiewicz says, in "Excellent Sheep", that we are sucking the life out of generations who go tot the big name schools, making them products of a factory like system were they are processesed thoroughly and learn little. He says the students are great at what they are doing and have no idea why they are doing it. They will get hired anyway.
Doug Terry
I was very lucky at around age 20. Due to persistence, a large dash of naivete (I didn't know it couldn't be done) and good luck, I was given outsized opportunities while still in college. Then, since people got to know me, more opportunities bloomed. I was put on a fast elevator ride that could have led to a CEO's job, or major management responsibilities for a large company, while still in my 20s. I wasn't just a resume, I was a hot property known to others and in demand, despite my lack of a big name college on my CV. It was fun.
Being the first in my family to go to college, I guess I always had to believe in chance and good fortune. Professor and writer William Deresiewicz says, in "Excellent Sheep", that we are sucking the life out of generations who go tot the big name schools, making them products of a factory like system were they are processesed thoroughly and learn little. He says the students are great at what they are doing and have no idea why they are doing it. They will get hired anyway.
Doug Terry
21
What is missing here is the cost factor of college. I am nearly 74, graduated as an undergraduate in 1963 with no debt because, even though it was not a state college, the fees were reasonable. That is no longer the case. So I think it is natural that parents push the career button because they know that millions of college graduates will be faced with outrageous loans. But, of course, you are right about not focusing upon a career. I was fortunate. I wanted to be a teacher and was happily so. And good at it.
4
"IF Hillary Clinton goes the distance, she may have Shakespeare to thank."
I'm having a little trouble trying to wrap my mind around this supposed linkage. Shakespearean language makes rich use of nuance, ambiguity, irony etc, all of which would be anathema to political speechifying. In fact the job of a political consultant/poll formulator is to absolutely eschew these poetic devices and emphasize simplicity, if not simple-mindedness.
I have no idea whether or not Mr. Benenson is capable of ascending to Shakespearean heights in his own writing, but I am absolutely sure were he to succeed in this endeavor as part of his service to his boss, she'd fire him in an instant.
I'm having a little trouble trying to wrap my mind around this supposed linkage. Shakespearean language makes rich use of nuance, ambiguity, irony etc, all of which would be anathema to political speechifying. In fact the job of a political consultant/poll formulator is to absolutely eschew these poetic devices and emphasize simplicity, if not simple-mindedness.
I have no idea whether or not Mr. Benenson is capable of ascending to Shakespearean heights in his own writing, but I am absolutely sure were he to succeed in this endeavor as part of his service to his boss, she'd fire him in an instant.
1
Frank, check your privilege (or maybe your age).
When the unemployment rate for adults under 25 is around 10% (and underemployment the sad rule for many others), when student loan debt is a major factor for many graduates, and as a result parents are given a clear message from the time a child is born that their life is going to be a game of musical chairs, it's not surprising that all concerned develop a very utilitarian, goal-oriented view of education and career.
Serendipity and a "jagged arc" make for pleasant reading, but unfortunately they are increasingly a luxury, accessible only to those with rich parents or other sources of support that the majority of kids don't have.
When the unemployment rate for adults under 25 is around 10% (and underemployment the sad rule for many others), when student loan debt is a major factor for many graduates, and as a result parents are given a clear message from the time a child is born that their life is going to be a game of musical chairs, it's not surprising that all concerned develop a very utilitarian, goal-oriented view of education and career.
Serendipity and a "jagged arc" make for pleasant reading, but unfortunately they are increasingly a luxury, accessible only to those with rich parents or other sources of support that the majority of kids don't have.
9
This column strengthens my conviction that this country's salvation lies in the concept that every child must have 16 .not 12 years of education at public expense, If you doubt this contention think back to what impact on our society the G.I. bill had on our society.
Certainly not everyone is college material, and there will be college dropouts just as there are high school dropouts today But that is no reason to deny 16 years of education to all. Too expensive? Think about what ignorance costs us today.. .
Certainly not everyone is college material, and there will be college dropouts just as there are high school dropouts today But that is no reason to deny 16 years of education to all. Too expensive? Think about what ignorance costs us today.. .
10
Questions:
(a) Do student loans come into the picture?
(b) Would it be wise to assume debt to study Shakespeare?
(c) Or acting?
(d) Can't students study the arts on their own?
(e) And shouldn't they been exposed to Hamlet in High School?
(f) Must we deploy cherry-picked anecdotes to persuade young people that higher education in the arts will yield a monetary return on investment?
Answers:
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) No
(d) Yes
(e) Yes
(f) Apparently yes!
Examination of the anecdote reveals that Benenson did not have to risk the taking out a loan to study Shakespeare or acting. Queens College was free. The column would have been more persuasive if the conclusion were that higher education should still be free, as it was for Benenson.
(a) Do student loans come into the picture?
(b) Would it be wise to assume debt to study Shakespeare?
(c) Or acting?
(d) Can't students study the arts on their own?
(e) And shouldn't they been exposed to Hamlet in High School?
(f) Must we deploy cherry-picked anecdotes to persuade young people that higher education in the arts will yield a monetary return on investment?
Answers:
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) No
(d) Yes
(e) Yes
(f) Apparently yes!
Examination of the anecdote reveals that Benenson did not have to risk the taking out a loan to study Shakespeare or acting. Queens College was free. The column would have been more persuasive if the conclusion were that higher education should still be free, as it was for Benenson.
6
An adulatory column about a campaign strategist? Bruni takes fixation on the campaign process to new depths.
2
New Depths? people don't run alone, do they? How one gets to the white house has been a rich story since at least the Making of the President Books, at least since The Boys on the Bus, or What it Takes. Some of us read David Plouffe's book and George Stephanopolis's book and Axelrod's and maybe even a few of Carville's books.
We watch this amazing process unfold and the process matters. Pretending that it is new or too adulatory or beneath us seems less than true on all counts.
We watch this amazing process unfold and the process matters. Pretending that it is new or too adulatory or beneath us seems less than true on all counts.
Great piece Frank and right on, if you'll excuse the cliché pun, the money.
As we watch money become the focus of almost everything, the purchase of lifestyle, government, supposedly even happiness, we seem to have mislaid the serendipity which is one of life's greatest gifts. If we are so focused on what is ahead of us, we will be in danger of missing the wonders that often lie to the side.
Thank you for reminding us that a straight line may be the shortest distance between two points but is not necessarily the best path to follow.
As we watch money become the focus of almost everything, the purchase of lifestyle, government, supposedly even happiness, we seem to have mislaid the serendipity which is one of life's greatest gifts. If we are so focused on what is ahead of us, we will be in danger of missing the wonders that often lie to the side.
Thank you for reminding us that a straight line may be the shortest distance between two points but is not necessarily the best path to follow.
7
I once read that the kids in any Ivy freshman class could be locked in a room for 4 years and emerge on the road to success. So, likely, for Mr. Benenson; there are individuals who will chart their own courses, and be victorious. Not so for many our our kids today, for whom neither Straight and Narrow, nor Meandering paths are likely to succeed.
1
From Hamlet, I would suggest for Hillary, "The readiness is all."
Hillary Clinton is preparing herself for the presidency more than probably anyone else has ever done. She has 18 months to refine her strategy and her delivery, without competition.
She has so many pluses to work on and to refine. Her diplomatic experience may be just what we need in times when agreements are hard to reach. Having a partner by her side will surely add to her confidence. The first serious woman candidacy for president will surely attract continued interest until election day.
"The readiness is all."
Hillary Clinton is preparing herself for the presidency more than probably anyone else has ever done. She has 18 months to refine her strategy and her delivery, without competition.
She has so many pluses to work on and to refine. Her diplomatic experience may be just what we need in times when agreements are hard to reach. Having a partner by her side will surely add to her confidence. The first serious woman candidacy for president will surely attract continued interest until election day.
"The readiness is all."
11
"The readiness is all"
That and a heaping pile of Wall Street money
Clinton Inc.
That and a heaping pile of Wall Street money
Clinton Inc.
I don't think that Hillary cares to serve the people. It appears that her goal is to serve herself. Anyone who has the quest for power that she has is a danger to the country. She has a definite similarity to Richard Nixon and you know where that got us !
Readiness is indeed good. And now Bernie will make sure the issues that concern the 99 percent are raised. Pulling Hillary back from her tendency to jump on bandwagons will be a good thing. Thinking before voting to invade Iraq, for example.
1
Excellent points, except - where do you go to get this important education?
As a former professor - and observer of higher education - I think that in 2015 you would be hard put to find the type of courses that your examples took, not in 2015.
I recently posted (on my blog inside-higher-ed) a syllabus from a 1972 (required) political science course from the Univ. of Houston, mainly a commuter school at the time. For comparison, there is a link to today's requirements for political science courses at Wash. U. in St. Louis and Princeton. Times have changed.
There is also a link to an eye-opening, and frightening, publication about today's teaching of the liberal arts. It is by Jonathan Jacobs (Presidential Scholar, and Chair of Philosophy, John Jay College, CUNY).
I also recommend reading "College, Poetry and Purpose". There, Frank Bruni, describes a discussion with one of his former professors. She also describes how, even at U. of Penn, the courses are, shall we say, not so deep.
The problem is not that there aren't liberal arts courses. The problem is that they don't have much content. That's why, as described in Arum and Roksa's "Academically Adrift", students only have to study about 13 hours a week, whereas in Joel Benenson's day that number was somewhere between 20 and 25.
We don't need to worry so much about what courses students are taking, as we do about what courses are being taught.
As a former professor - and observer of higher education - I think that in 2015 you would be hard put to find the type of courses that your examples took, not in 2015.
I recently posted (on my blog inside-higher-ed) a syllabus from a 1972 (required) political science course from the Univ. of Houston, mainly a commuter school at the time. For comparison, there is a link to today's requirements for political science courses at Wash. U. in St. Louis and Princeton. Times have changed.
There is also a link to an eye-opening, and frightening, publication about today's teaching of the liberal arts. It is by Jonathan Jacobs (Presidential Scholar, and Chair of Philosophy, John Jay College, CUNY).
I also recommend reading "College, Poetry and Purpose". There, Frank Bruni, describes a discussion with one of his former professors. She also describes how, even at U. of Penn, the courses are, shall we say, not so deep.
The problem is not that there aren't liberal arts courses. The problem is that they don't have much content. That's why, as described in Arum and Roksa's "Academically Adrift", students only have to study about 13 hours a week, whereas in Joel Benenson's day that number was somewhere between 20 and 25.
We don't need to worry so much about what courses students are taking, as we do about what courses are being taught.
5
Thank you for speaking out about this dirty little secret, which needs to be exposed continually until people get it. History, literature, philosophy and other traditional humanities courses have been gutted by the toxic combination of political correctness and dumbing down courses for the consumer (it's a lot more popular to wallow in familiar, identity-affirming issues in popular-culture texts than to learn to read and appreciate not-my-own-opinion difficult issues in, say, Kant and Aeschylus). Shakespeare usually does not say what we want him to say, and he certainly says it in difficult ways, linguistically and dramatically, to which we have no access without some guidance from experts and hard work (his texts are, in effect, a foreign language we need to learn). That's one of the biggest lessons to be learned in "critical thinking."
4
I am a Queens College grad myself (1992). I have since studied at Harvard, Boston University, and Boston College. None of those came close to QC in terms of the rigor and overall quality of education. And I graduated without a penny of debt.
I regularly thank the lucky stars that led me in the direction of QC back in the late 80s.
I regularly thank the lucky stars that led me in the direction of QC back in the late 80s.
9
I suppose that discovering oneself is probably the key to enjoyment of life in general. That process can certainly be less than linear but there are some "short cuts". Joel Benenson's life echoes my chaotic career progress although I do not regret stopping to smell the flowers. However, had I read "Do What You Are" earlier in my life, I might have found the best career for me much earlier. It is possible to enjoy the scenery while focused on the road.
1
I entered an elite college believing that I could and should take whatever classes I pleased, no matter whether they were going to help further my career goals or even clarify what those goals might be. Indo-European linguistics, intro to sculpture, 20th-century poetry, Spanish baroque art, fractal geometry, Duchamp and Dada...whatever sounded interesting or cool to my 19-year-old, coffee and clove cigarette-soaked imagination. Of course it was a huge privilege to have all these choices, not to be fettered to the sense that my or my family's financial well-being might hinge upon them. Later on, as a journalist in my twenties, I realized that I knew nothing about the political process; that stock markets--my taxes, even--were a complete mystery to me; that the very basics of engineering and biology eluded my understanding. One of the reasons I went to medical school in my thirties was to fill in some of these vital knowledge gaps. (What allowed me to make that kind of a career change at 32 was a father who could subsidize it.) Career fluidity is a beautiful thing, but except for the lucky few, the risks may outweigh the potential gains that I story like Benenson's would seem to promise. And as glad as I am to have learned to appreciate Elizabeth Bishop's poetry at age 19, I wish somebody had forced me to take a basic economics course.
8
What did Benenson learn in his entrepreneurial venture of supplying a dangerous, addictive drug - alcohol - to people living paycheck to paycheck? Good career counseling, internships and yeah, one or two business courses enable students to explore their interests, capabilities and passions in a relatively safe, forgiving environment. Good teachers and mentors say the same things Benenson says; it's personal obsession with security and success, not self-knowledge or work experience, that is the problem.
2
Dear Mr. Bruni,
"It's great to be skillful but better to be lucky".
Or, just go with the flow. Unless huge amounts of money are your interest.
Whether you take Economics 101 or Restoration Drama, both will be useful sometime down the road; I'm still waiting on Restoration Drama, to be honest, but, at least, I mentioned it in my comment.
Back to the money thing. Since it's going to be harder and harder to "break into" the 1% Club, one should start being prepped in, at least, pre-school devoting all energies and time to creating a monstrous portfolio. This must be very self satisfying and profitable but doesn't, generally, present us with a "well rounded" individual. But wealth is, indeed, a tempting siren to many as evidenced by the plethora of billboards I see advertising "MBA"s. I never see any billboards touting a school's music department or English program but, really, should I? There seems a concerted effort to turn colleges into trade schools as employers are looking for computer people to fill their cubicles. The "fine arts" just don't generate the rolling dough that intrigues America.
But isn't "culture" just overrated? I think not as the "cultured" individual stands out. As usual, a balance is needed sadly lacking in our divisive atmosphere lately.
"It's great to be skillful but better to be lucky".
Or, just go with the flow. Unless huge amounts of money are your interest.
Whether you take Economics 101 or Restoration Drama, both will be useful sometime down the road; I'm still waiting on Restoration Drama, to be honest, but, at least, I mentioned it in my comment.
Back to the money thing. Since it's going to be harder and harder to "break into" the 1% Club, one should start being prepped in, at least, pre-school devoting all energies and time to creating a monstrous portfolio. This must be very self satisfying and profitable but doesn't, generally, present us with a "well rounded" individual. But wealth is, indeed, a tempting siren to many as evidenced by the plethora of billboards I see advertising "MBA"s. I never see any billboards touting a school's music department or English program but, really, should I? There seems a concerted effort to turn colleges into trade schools as employers are looking for computer people to fill their cubicles. The "fine arts" just don't generate the rolling dough that intrigues America.
But isn't "culture" just overrated? I think not as the "cultured" individual stands out. As usual, a balance is needed sadly lacking in our divisive atmosphere lately.
4
Frank
A college education costs SO much money and saddles parents and their children with SO much debt (or delayed savings for retirement) that a calculation must be made relative to value. Yes, I totally agree that a more fulfilling, and potentially lucrative, career could result from a liberal arts education. But, the challenge is in seeing the pathway to debt repayment from studying say, Russian history.
A college education costs SO much money and saddles parents and their children with SO much debt (or delayed savings for retirement) that a calculation must be made relative to value. Yes, I totally agree that a more fulfilling, and potentially lucrative, career could result from a liberal arts education. But, the challenge is in seeing the pathway to debt repayment from studying say, Russian history.
15
joel benenson may owe much of his actual achievement to the useful things he gleaned from his addition to literature and performance but it should not be overlooked that those habits of mind and diligence required for grasp are also determinants of the spirit of inquiry that empower the curious with the resolve and courage it takes to
pursue "your passions, allowing for digressions and not sweating the immediate relevance and payoff of each and every step you take."
the absence of this spirit and these capabilities is evident everywhere in what we now call the dumb-down, nowhere more obvious and damaging than in the quality of debate, whether it be the stultifying language of the congress, the gloss of infotainment that impairs inquiry and analysis of issues and events, the bubble-testing, outcome-driven drift of education away from exploration and discovery toward "sweating the immediate relevance of each and every step," and even the reduction of serious social issues to the limited exchange of bumpersticker volleys between those with grievances and officials in charge of redress.
pursue "your passions, allowing for digressions and not sweating the immediate relevance and payoff of each and every step you take."
the absence of this spirit and these capabilities is evident everywhere in what we now call the dumb-down, nowhere more obvious and damaging than in the quality of debate, whether it be the stultifying language of the congress, the gloss of infotainment that impairs inquiry and analysis of issues and events, the bubble-testing, outcome-driven drift of education away from exploration and discovery toward "sweating the immediate relevance of each and every step," and even the reduction of serious social issues to the limited exchange of bumpersticker volleys between those with grievances and officials in charge of redress.
2
This is nice, but extrapolating from anecdotes only gets you so far and is hardly a replacement for seriously looking at the data. As long as people have access to all the information they need about college (both about future financial prospects for certain majors/schools and the equally, if not more, important intellectual and personal growth that happens), we should leave it to the students and parents to figure out the best course.
But while we're at it, why not look into the staff of the NYT or members of the Obama administration and look where they went to school. Hint: Some schools will be better represented than others... If you have a privileged enough family background to be able to choose majors on intellectual and personal grounds alone, then more power to you. But there are a lot of Americans who don't have such luxuries (and probably don't have access to the NYT either) who would be better served by a more pragmatic approach. Bruni's column is great, but only for a certain group of Americans who compromise a not insignificant part of the NYT's audience. For the rest of us, well, we do the best with what we're given. We can find Hamlet in the library.
But while we're at it, why not look into the staff of the NYT or members of the Obama administration and look where they went to school. Hint: Some schools will be better represented than others... If you have a privileged enough family background to be able to choose majors on intellectual and personal grounds alone, then more power to you. But there are a lot of Americans who don't have such luxuries (and probably don't have access to the NYT either) who would be better served by a more pragmatic approach. Bruni's column is great, but only for a certain group of Americans who compromise a not insignificant part of the NYT's audience. For the rest of us, well, we do the best with what we're given. We can find Hamlet in the library.
56
I grew up in a middle class family, my father a low level manager for the local phone company. A voracious reader of the classics in my spare time as a teenager, I wanted to major in English literature. He told me that was a major for rich kids. I allowed myself to be swayed by him and started as an engineering major. I had no passion nor aptitude for this and changed to a business major, something I found very easy because of the low academic skills of most of the other business students, i.e. they were jocks.
I chose my graduate major by taking two entrance exams, the GMAT for business and the LSAT for law. I knew nothing about preparatory courses and took each of these tests stone cold with no more preparation than a quick run through the sample questions provided by the testing company. The tests told the story I should have already known. I achieved a perfectly respectable GMAT score: 89th percentile. For the LSAT I achieved a 98th percentile score, reflecting my superior reading comprehension and analysis. I took my career in law. I could have done so just as easily with an undergrad literature major.
I remember the pressure to make a decision about my "career" when I was a mere teenager. In the years since, it's become painfully obvious that there was no need for that or to start university immediately after high school. I tell my nephews and nieces to pursue what really lights them up; that will always be the source of their particular genius.
I chose my graduate major by taking two entrance exams, the GMAT for business and the LSAT for law. I knew nothing about preparatory courses and took each of these tests stone cold with no more preparation than a quick run through the sample questions provided by the testing company. The tests told the story I should have already known. I achieved a perfectly respectable GMAT score: 89th percentile. For the LSAT I achieved a 98th percentile score, reflecting my superior reading comprehension and analysis. I took my career in law. I could have done so just as easily with an undergrad literature major.
I remember the pressure to make a decision about my "career" when I was a mere teenager. In the years since, it's become painfully obvious that there was no need for that or to start university immediately after high school. I tell my nephews and nieces to pursue what really lights them up; that will always be the source of their particular genius.
1
I didn't go to a "well-represented" school, or seek political power, or any such thing. I wasn't affluent; I know what it is to be poor. But I was able to work me way through a modest school, and to study literature and history, politics and psychology as well as "career" courses.
And whatever I ended up doing, in the list of work and careers I've had, if I had not studied literature and history with some great teachers, I'd have been poorer than I was by a lot. Your boss may own part of your life, but you own the rest, and what you are is not decided by your boss--or if it is, you really ARE poor (even if you're a millionaire).
And whatever I ended up doing, in the list of work and careers I've had, if I had not studied literature and history with some great teachers, I'd have been poorer than I was by a lot. Your boss may own part of your life, but you own the rest, and what you are is not decided by your boss--or if it is, you really ARE poor (even if you're a millionaire).
1
I first entered college with little thought of what I might do one day so taking the easy way to dodge my father's disdain I claimed I was taking history as a path to law school.
After three semesters I dropped out and signed up for the Marine Corps on an aviation guarantee. I figured if I was on a Vietnam airfield guarded by Marines I would be okay.
Six years later I went back and finished the history degree just because I wanted to study history, sociology and economics. It did no harm (to me) that it was paid for by the VA. Then I spent the rest of my working life as first a technician and then an engineer and manager based on my military schooling.
The social sciences, writing skills and ability to learn from my college days were instrumental my success at both collaboration and management. Who would have known?
I had a great run, contributed along the way and am enjoying a just reward well earned. I even had the chance to start my children on similar paths.
College and especially the liberal arts are well worth the effort and costs. It is not necessary to see a direct link to a payday. It grows the soul and creates its own possibilities.
Anyone who says otherwise is mistaken.
After three semesters I dropped out and signed up for the Marine Corps on an aviation guarantee. I figured if I was on a Vietnam airfield guarded by Marines I would be okay.
Six years later I went back and finished the history degree just because I wanted to study history, sociology and economics. It did no harm (to me) that it was paid for by the VA. Then I spent the rest of my working life as first a technician and then an engineer and manager based on my military schooling.
The social sciences, writing skills and ability to learn from my college days were instrumental my success at both collaboration and management. Who would have known?
I had a great run, contributed along the way and am enjoying a just reward well earned. I even had the chance to start my children on similar paths.
College and especially the liberal arts are well worth the effort and costs. It is not necessary to see a direct link to a payday. It grows the soul and creates its own possibilities.
Anyone who says otherwise is mistaken.
25
Long gone are the days when learning to think critically with a firm background in liberal arts was a cornerstone of one's higher education. When I attended Columbia University almost 40 years ago, the first two years of my learning included requirements in Western civilization/literature/art history, a foreign language, and basics of writing. The last two years were devoted to pursing a major subject, with encouragement to also take electives that would make us more well-rounded individuals. Today, with skyrocketing college costs and massive student loan debt, the message seems to be "maximize your earning potential," regardless of your personal passions. Helicopter parents who try to diagram their children's education, interests, and professional lives are doing them a disservice. There's nothing wrong with being well-compensated for one's profession---so long as it is one's "chosen" profession.
3
What a great column! I so identified with Berenson's "unorthodox" career path--or perhaps, to put it more aptly, the route that's more of a cow path than a straight avenue.
I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do after college. Actually, I didn't want to do anything except study, but college was ending and I had to figure on something. I'm not going to bore you with how hard it was for liberal arts majors in 1968 to find meaningful work. Suffice it to say this Italian major followed a very ambling cow path, from secretary to an expatriate life of teaching and translating, to corporate drudgery, to publishing to copywriting to medical communications. If you had told me I'd end up writing about science with only one year of science in college--rocks for jocks, or geology--I'd have said, no way.
But life does end up being stranger than fiction, although the study of fiction--indeed any form of literature--opens the world of possibilities. So, I feel sorry for today's overly regimented kids, who don't allow themselves to experience learning for learning's sake. To indulge curiosity. To take a course for the pleasure of it, not the eventual professional payoff.
I hope some high-schoolers and their moms get a chance to read this essay. Frankly, I think one can learn more from the jobs that taught them life skills than the ones they thought they had to take because of their resumes. It sounds as if Berenson realized that lesson early on in life.
I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do after college. Actually, I didn't want to do anything except study, but college was ending and I had to figure on something. I'm not going to bore you with how hard it was for liberal arts majors in 1968 to find meaningful work. Suffice it to say this Italian major followed a very ambling cow path, from secretary to an expatriate life of teaching and translating, to corporate drudgery, to publishing to copywriting to medical communications. If you had told me I'd end up writing about science with only one year of science in college--rocks for jocks, or geology--I'd have said, no way.
But life does end up being stranger than fiction, although the study of fiction--indeed any form of literature--opens the world of possibilities. So, I feel sorry for today's overly regimented kids, who don't allow themselves to experience learning for learning's sake. To indulge curiosity. To take a course for the pleasure of it, not the eventual professional payoff.
I hope some high-schoolers and their moms get a chance to read this essay. Frankly, I think one can learn more from the jobs that taught them life skills than the ones they thought they had to take because of their resumes. It sounds as if Berenson realized that lesson early on in life.
14
I spent ten years on the Washington Evening Star (now long gone). My greatest asset was an earned PhD in musicology from Cornell. By the time you got through that you had, by god, learned to think, to weigh evidence.
8
Unfortunately, the defunding of public higher education means that too many--probably most--students graduate with massive debts that come due as soon as they collect their diplomas. I teach in an exotic language department at a major public university. My students do want to go try things and have the adventures that will prepare them to have interesting creative lives. Alas, they can no longer afford to dare.
22
Being an English major I'm majorly psyched whenever a bit of praise is thrown our way. I have college friends who went on to become editorial writers for major newspaper after their stint as writers for the school newspaper. Unlike the jocks on campus who were recognized for their body's power to perform or the scientists who were studying furiously in the library, English majors were writing about real current events that effected society. We created a bridge between our writing and real society as well as taking endless walks on the beach quoting Gary Snyder, Shakespeare or Frederick Douglass impressing all of our more pedestrian companions.
When I think about English major idealism & passion when it pertains to the commercial world of politics my mind tends to devolve into familiar movie scripts like Election starring Matthew Broderick & Reese Witherspoon. Everyone could relate to Reese's political success at any cost philosophy as she represented so many individuals that rubbed us the wrong way. The political campaigns between Jim McAllister, Tracy Flick & Tammy Metzler still crack me up 16 years later. Example:
Tammy Metzler: [her campaign speech] Who cares about this stupid election? We all know it doesn't matter who gets elected president of Carver. Do you really think it's going to change anything around here? Make one single person smarter or happier or nicer? The only person it does matter to is the one who gets elected.
When I think about English major idealism & passion when it pertains to the commercial world of politics my mind tends to devolve into familiar movie scripts like Election starring Matthew Broderick & Reese Witherspoon. Everyone could relate to Reese's political success at any cost philosophy as she represented so many individuals that rubbed us the wrong way. The political campaigns between Jim McAllister, Tracy Flick & Tammy Metzler still crack me up 16 years later. Example:
Tammy Metzler: [her campaign speech] Who cares about this stupid election? We all know it doesn't matter who gets elected president of Carver. Do you really think it's going to change anything around here? Make one single person smarter or happier or nicer? The only person it does matter to is the one who gets elected.
1
Great column and important message that underscores the importance of liberal arts education. And deeper learning than just job training. (Conservative Republicans, ironically, loathe conservative traditions of education that emphasize development of the whole person.)
That said, Melville would be appalled if he knew his literary legacy in any way was helping fashion phony political speeches and sound bites. Especially for a corporatist. Shakespeare with his command of all forms of human tragedy would, at least, understand that his words some day would be manipulated for some of the rankest kind of mass public discourse.
That said, Melville would be appalled if he knew his literary legacy in any way was helping fashion phony political speeches and sound bites. Especially for a corporatist. Shakespeare with his command of all forms of human tragedy would, at least, understand that his words some day would be manipulated for some of the rankest kind of mass public discourse.
4
But I think that even Mr. Benson would admit that the biblical context of "Let he who is without sin . . ." and "A house divided . . ." makes what have become aphorisms qualitatively different from the soundbites offered by Polonius in Act 1 of Hamlet. One key difference being that Polonius strings his saying together in ways that make his words seem more like those of a modern politician, who is incapable of saying anything other -- or is "handled" in such a way as to say nothing other. This being said, his emphasis on the power of words and the messy, uneven trajectory of education is spot on.
2
And then there are people who are just born Machiavellian.
At age 9, Karl Rove was a vocal supporter of Richard Nixon's 1960 presidential campaign.
Rove was often seen at high school carrying a briefcase and wearing a coat and tie where he honed his skills in debate tournaments and was good at intimidating his opponents.
Rove joined the College Republicans, who sent him to Illinois to work on the successful Senate bid of Ralph Smith. Rove later admitted that he went into the offices of a Democratic candidate, stole stationery, and used it to mock up fake invitations advertising a party with "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing".
Rove quoted Napoleon in 1985 and advised candidates to put forth "a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defense, followed by rapid and audacious attack" and told candidates to focus on suburban voters, emphasizing education, traditional values and lower taxes and to take pains to appear "compassionate."
Rove guided George W. Bush to the Texas governorship and then to the Presidency.
In 2000 Rove's dirty Machiavellian politics in South Carolina featured the slander of John McCain with a brutal whispering campaign about his mental health, his wife's battle with prescription drugs and whether he had fathered a black child out of wedlock.
In 2004, Rove helped character-assassinate Senator John Kerry with Swift Boat lies while helping re-elect the AWOL Texas National Guard draft-dodging GWB.
Some people are just bad seeds.
At age 9, Karl Rove was a vocal supporter of Richard Nixon's 1960 presidential campaign.
Rove was often seen at high school carrying a briefcase and wearing a coat and tie where he honed his skills in debate tournaments and was good at intimidating his opponents.
Rove joined the College Republicans, who sent him to Illinois to work on the successful Senate bid of Ralph Smith. Rove later admitted that he went into the offices of a Democratic candidate, stole stationery, and used it to mock up fake invitations advertising a party with "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing".
Rove quoted Napoleon in 1985 and advised candidates to put forth "a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defense, followed by rapid and audacious attack" and told candidates to focus on suburban voters, emphasizing education, traditional values and lower taxes and to take pains to appear "compassionate."
Rove guided George W. Bush to the Texas governorship and then to the Presidency.
In 2000 Rove's dirty Machiavellian politics in South Carolina featured the slander of John McCain with a brutal whispering campaign about his mental health, his wife's battle with prescription drugs and whether he had fathered a black child out of wedlock.
In 2004, Rove helped character-assassinate Senator John Kerry with Swift Boat lies while helping re-elect the AWOL Texas National Guard draft-dodging GWB.
Some people are just bad seeds.
172
Forget Shakespeare's Hamlet and Harold Pinter. 2016 is going to be right out of George Orwell's 1984. Every Republican candidate is a master of doublethink, where you have repeated a lie so many times that you actually believe it. And remember how Winston Smith's job was to "edit" history so that the "Party" was always right? That's classic Republican strategy. You repeat a lie long enough and people think it is the truth. "History" means never having to say you were wrong.
37
Not like Hillary (ahem, secret emails and slush funds, ahem).
‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,’ and, ‘‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’ are not sound bites. Joel Benenson is glib. The words in their order hold great meaning, thus bite. memorabler speech bites.
http://michaelslevinson.com
http://michaelslevinson.com
1
i think we ought to remember the the phrase "sound bite" is itself, a metaphor. Even bits of scripture are robbed of their context when quoted alone.
Reads to me like yet another powder puff piece masquerading as a sublime statement. Surely someone not connected to a corrupt political machine could have done the same job?
2
Mr Bruni’s columns usually make a lot of sense, but drawing conclusions that are retrofitted to a 62-year-old’s career history is silly.
3
These stories are wonderful and your new book is both a joy to read and wise.
Nevertheless, many of the folks you chronicle, Benenson included, are not in need of your advice and never were. The Benensons in the current crop of students will not need your advice either.
Most of us are born a drone.
Nevertheless, many of the folks you chronicle, Benenson included, are not in need of your advice and never were. The Benensons in the current crop of students will not need your advice either.
Most of us are born a drone.
1
Well said, Mr. Bruni (and Mr. Benenson)!
I love the theme and the thesis of this essay. I only wish I could recommend this outlook to my kids.
I have a daughter in college now. Despite a formidable scholarship, which brought the cost of a private college down to what we would have paid for a state school, she will still graduate with debt. And add more debt to get her advanced degrees so that she will be employable. She will need a traditional job, a well paying job, for at least a decade, just to cover the cost of educating herself.
My son is in high school - faced this week with three AP exams, and another next week. He is also expected - this week - to finish out his varsity season, which overruns AP week because APs are early to accommodate southern schools which will end the year about a month sooner than NY. And why? Because he is a junior, and those are the base requirements to get past the first sort and into the "holistic review." He is more likely to get financial aid with the right resume.
We parents don't all push or kids because we have drunk the kool-aid. We are just trying to get them over the hurdles that will give them a shot at choices sometime later on.
I have a daughter in college now. Despite a formidable scholarship, which brought the cost of a private college down to what we would have paid for a state school, she will still graduate with debt. And add more debt to get her advanced degrees so that she will be employable. She will need a traditional job, a well paying job, for at least a decade, just to cover the cost of educating herself.
My son is in high school - faced this week with three AP exams, and another next week. He is also expected - this week - to finish out his varsity season, which overruns AP week because APs are early to accommodate southern schools which will end the year about a month sooner than NY. And why? Because he is a junior, and those are the base requirements to get past the first sort and into the "holistic review." He is more likely to get financial aid with the right resume.
We parents don't all push or kids because we have drunk the kool-aid. We are just trying to get them over the hurdles that will give them a shot at choices sometime later on.
19
Good stuff. I could be wrong but career used to be something you looked back on and summarized. Today too often it is that straight line plan that doesn't accept substitutions. Kind of like breakfast in Five Easy Pieces.
Excellent column, Mr. Bruni. Mr. Benenson offers excellent advice, fully relevant to people who may not follow or even despise politics. It's worth noting, though, that many GOP politicians favor economic policies that makes "wandering" or "discovering yourself" exceptionally difficult for young people, who may not have the financial space to make such a leap, worrying about keeping their low-wage, dead-end job or to deal with an unforeseen medical issue that saps their savings. And their parents may not be in a position to assist them, a privilege enjoyed by the affluent.
Thanks to the PPACA, however, at least they now have healthcare coverage, even if they lose their job. What they likely don't have is paid sick leave at their job and fixing that will be a challenge for the next Democratic administration.
Thanks to the PPACA, however, at least they now have healthcare coverage, even if they lose their job. What they likely don't have is paid sick leave at their job and fixing that will be a challenge for the next Democratic administration.
57
I’m sure Mr. Benenson is unsurpassed at writing questions for polls, and that perhaps beer may figure somewhere in that facility. I’m always fascinated by how pollsters can get just about whatever answer they wish by framing their questions this way or that. So … it behooves the intelligent if skeptical consumer of polls to remember that pollsters work for those who pay their fees.
Do you favor or disfavor subjecting oligarchs who steal bread from the mouths of children to vivisection? (Or, to be fair, pick one that might be framed by a Republican pollster.)
This is why I rely so much on RealClearPolitics (RCP), which averages the results of major national polls. We can accept that they’re all tainted by interest, but if you average all of them, you tend to get a better idea of where people really stand on an issue. It’s interesting, though, how often the most liberal of pollsters obtain the highest levels of public support for repeal of the ACA – obviously, either some organizations have been penetrated by the enemy, or the pollsters are patently incompetent.
All that appears certain is that you can get a decent lunch merely by sending an interesting email to Frank Bruni. (I’ll have to try that. Frank must always be in the market for entertaining story ideas, and I’m always open to a good lunch that someone else pays for.)
Good advice to eschew the straight line to one’s destiny – for those sufficiently gifted to get away with it. I’d suggest, though, that most aren’t.
Do you favor or disfavor subjecting oligarchs who steal bread from the mouths of children to vivisection? (Or, to be fair, pick one that might be framed by a Republican pollster.)
This is why I rely so much on RealClearPolitics (RCP), which averages the results of major national polls. We can accept that they’re all tainted by interest, but if you average all of them, you tend to get a better idea of where people really stand on an issue. It’s interesting, though, how often the most liberal of pollsters obtain the highest levels of public support for repeal of the ACA – obviously, either some organizations have been penetrated by the enemy, or the pollsters are patently incompetent.
All that appears certain is that you can get a decent lunch merely by sending an interesting email to Frank Bruni. (I’ll have to try that. Frank must always be in the market for entertaining story ideas, and I’m always open to a good lunch that someone else pays for.)
Good advice to eschew the straight line to one’s destiny – for those sufficiently gifted to get away with it. I’d suggest, though, that most aren’t.
1
Frank, I think you might have buried the lead here. Among the many serendipitous things that brought Mr. Beneson to his current success, the one that jumped out at me was "He chose Queens College because it was free". Imagine if everyone had the opportunity to go to college for free. All anyone can really hope for is a first rate library and a bunch of teachers who can steer you through it. You have to do the rest. As for me, I never would have made it if I could have gotten my beer for free.
11
Mr. Benenson's serendipitous approach to life is so at odds with Mrs. Clinton's single-mindedness, it's a wonder that they're anywhere near in sync for Inevitability the Sequel.
For all intents and purposes, the former Hillary Rodham has been running for president, one way or another, ever since she gave the Wellesley student commencement address 46 years ago this month and was covered by Life magazine. And what a wild roller coaster ride it has been (for all of us).
But the relentless Clinton psychodrama, especially for the last quarter-century, has been nothing if not Shakespearean. So in that sense, at least, the presumptive first female president -- twice, no less -- may, at long last, have found the one image-maker who might be able to make sense of it all.
As for whether the Scooby van was Mr. Benenson's idea, that remains a mystery.
For all intents and purposes, the former Hillary Rodham has been running for president, one way or another, ever since she gave the Wellesley student commencement address 46 years ago this month and was covered by Life magazine. And what a wild roller coaster ride it has been (for all of us).
But the relentless Clinton psychodrama, especially for the last quarter-century, has been nothing if not Shakespearean. So in that sense, at least, the presumptive first female president -- twice, no less -- may, at long last, have found the one image-maker who might be able to make sense of it all.
As for whether the Scooby van was Mr. Benenson's idea, that remains a mystery.
27
You know,a large number of our presidents and presidential candidates talk of how this has always been their ambition. Why is that a bad thing when it is Secretary Clinton and a good thing for all the others?
The truth is that every president has to have wanted to be president most of his life -- until now it has always been he and his life -- or you can't possibly get there. Certainly in modern times this is so. It is a less than sane thing to want to be president and it has to take root early in life to happen. In that regard Hilary is no different from anyone else running now. Why else would Martin O'Malley even contemplate running when he has no chance? Because some day he thinks he might have the chance and so he toys with running now to signal that to the future Democratic Party (although a governor who did not protect himself by making sure another Democrat succeeded him as governor is really bad at politics).
1
you say that Hillary has been running for president since Wellesley, but that is just ridiculous. Interning during Watergate with democrats was hardly that path, and what women could have come of age at that time thinking any woman would soon be president? Moving to Arkansas to be a small state lawyer was hardly that path either. Being first lady of a backwards southern state has never meant a big life for any woman before and hasn't since either.
But the man she married her fortunes together with somehow turned out to be Bill Clinton and she has been his equal or his better at every stage of his political career. But from the moment she married Bill she was in the Ginger Rogers role, dancing backwards and in heels but not the one leading.
But her story is not Shakespearean in the least really: she is a later day Eleanor Roosevelt.
It is only the Hillary and Bill haters who are Shakespearean: who plot like Iago endlessly: all the drama is theirs and is their sad bizarre story and not Bill's or Hillary's.
But the man she married her fortunes together with somehow turned out to be Bill Clinton and she has been his equal or his better at every stage of his political career. But from the moment she married Bill she was in the Ginger Rogers role, dancing backwards and in heels but not the one leading.
But her story is not Shakespearean in the least really: she is a later day Eleanor Roosevelt.
It is only the Hillary and Bill haters who are Shakespearean: who plot like Iago endlessly: all the drama is theirs and is their sad bizarre story and not Bill's or Hillary's.
Less polls, more policy.
Don't tell me what you think I want to hear, tell me what you truly believe.
That 'tis nobler.
Don't tell me what you think I want to hear, tell me what you truly believe.
That 'tis nobler.
2
Nothing like snappy sound bites, so much depth. If you don't much care for HRC, here's her campaign staff, love them. Go, Bernie, go for it. We've had quite enough of the shills & their big bucks owners.
1
I see me and my wife and our friends in this guy. He and we are the new Americans. We are not alone.
3
Fantastic writing. Made me cry. You are so right. All my life I've struggled to balance learning so that I could pay the way for my family and myself, and learning sol that I could discover who I could become.
Looking back, it's the learning to discover who I could become that has enriched both my family and me in so many ways, and I don't mean money, I mean happiness. Coloring outside the box is the way to go. Thank you, Frank.
Looking back, it's the learning to discover who I could become that has enriched both my family and me in so many ways, and I don't mean money, I mean happiness. Coloring outside the box is the way to go. Thank you, Frank.
2
So in Hamlet Redux, Hillary plays Claudius and Bill is Gertrude?
1
Most important is aquiring through dilligent and disciplined parenting/mentoring the ability to defer gratification for longer term rewards.
Overreaching for goals is a lesser challenge by far among our cultural dysfunctions and inequities than the hordes of youngsters growing up in dysfunctional homes without any direction or emotional equilibrium.
In a connected world with greater skill and intellectual challenges and demands; segments of our society are breeding a wave of future misfits and miscreants unlike we have ever faced before in our history.
It's going to get a lot worse!
Overreaching for goals is a lesser challenge by far among our cultural dysfunctions and inequities than the hordes of youngsters growing up in dysfunctional homes without any direction or emotional equilibrium.
In a connected world with greater skill and intellectual challenges and demands; segments of our society are breeding a wave of future misfits and miscreants unlike we have ever faced before in our history.
It's going to get a lot worse!
I agree with Bruni.My life has been serendipity . Was a liberal arts major at College. After,answered an adv. to join the League of Women Voters and later become its Director of City Planning.Heard a vacancy at NYC Planning Commission and said to myself Why Not Me.They needed a quorum and someone from Brooklyn for the next day hearing.Mayor Wagner at Midnight called and appointed me.Not reappointed but out of the clear blue Barnard called me to teach there.Then the next Mayor ,Beame, appointed me Chair of the Landmarks Commission.Again not reappointed but Gov. Mario Cuomo asked me to Head NYS Preservation .Refused as not want to leave family. Then Bishop Sullivan of Brooklyn made me his special assistant and I did his research and speech drafts for abut 25 years. Got my Ph.D. at 50. By the way, also my birth was serendipity. A good unplanned life!
1
How long ago was that? How much debt did you graduate with?
Yes, "career serendipity" is a fine thing--for those whose familial resources and social capital allow the sort of meandering paths that Mr. Bruni's protagonists here followed to such happy result.
Most first-generation college students, however, lack such assets. For them, effective career counseling and the opportunity for a supported first meaningful work experience such as an internship represent not soul-deadening steps to conformity, but vital lifelines to upward mobility and economic security.
In that light, Mr. Bruni's effort here is less enlightened than profoundly irresponsible, bordering on harmful. He probably should expand his circle of acquaintance beyond courtiers to the powerful, many of whom come from backgrounds that rendered them almost impervious to failure. Mr. Bruni's first and greatest political subject of affable admiration, George W. Bush, is perhaps the ultimate case in point.
Most first-generation college students, however, lack such assets. For them, effective career counseling and the opportunity for a supported first meaningful work experience such as an internship represent not soul-deadening steps to conformity, but vital lifelines to upward mobility and economic security.
In that light, Mr. Bruni's effort here is less enlightened than profoundly irresponsible, bordering on harmful. He probably should expand his circle of acquaintance beyond courtiers to the powerful, many of whom come from backgrounds that rendered them almost impervious to failure. Mr. Bruni's first and greatest political subject of affable admiration, George W. Bush, is perhaps the ultimate case in point.
2
"Parsing 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth' gave him an 'understanding of the rhythm and nuance of language,' he explained, that’s as useful as any fluency in statistics or political science per se."
So Shakespeare made him better at propaganda. Um, yay?
So Shakespeare made him better at propaganda. Um, yay?
2
The nuances of language are not only useful for propaganda; it's a sad reflection of the times when that's the assumption...
For the history books:
41. Bush
42. Clinton
43. Bush
44. Obama
45. [Fill in the blank]
It's nearly certain that number 45 will read either Clinton or Bush. Do you have any idea how idiotic we're gonna look to future generations? I have a really good idea.
If you want a perfect illustration for why I left the Democrats almost two decades ago, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better example than the entire "Hillary phenomena". As of this date she is virtually unopposed by any other Democrat as she prepares for what is obviously a long-planned run for the big house on Pennsylvania Avenue. The question that is screaming to be posed is this one: Is this the best that the "party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt" can come up with? True, she's light years better than anything the Republicans will be able to puke up in the substance department, but why settle on her? Are the Clintons so all-powerful that there is no one out there in the Democratic landscape who is able to muster up the courage to challenge them? Are they that gutless?
I understand that there are a lot of people (myself included) who would like to see a second, culture-shattering precedent established next year by electing the first woman as president of the United States. To go straight from the first black dude to the first gal is indeed tempting - no argument there - but Hillary is not the one for me. In fact, she's not even a close second.
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
41. Bush
42. Clinton
43. Bush
44. Obama
45. [Fill in the blank]
It's nearly certain that number 45 will read either Clinton or Bush. Do you have any idea how idiotic we're gonna look to future generations? I have a really good idea.
If you want a perfect illustration for why I left the Democrats almost two decades ago, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better example than the entire "Hillary phenomena". As of this date she is virtually unopposed by any other Democrat as she prepares for what is obviously a long-planned run for the big house on Pennsylvania Avenue. The question that is screaming to be posed is this one: Is this the best that the "party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt" can come up with? True, she's light years better than anything the Republicans will be able to puke up in the substance department, but why settle on her? Are the Clintons so all-powerful that there is no one out there in the Democratic landscape who is able to muster up the courage to challenge them? Are they that gutless?
I understand that there are a lot of people (myself included) who would like to see a second, culture-shattering precedent established next year by electing the first woman as president of the United States. To go straight from the first black dude to the first gal is indeed tempting - no argument there - but Hillary is not the one for me. In fact, she's not even a close second.
http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com
Tom Degan
11
Tom, "Are they that gutless?" More, even more. Remember 2014, the year that I, too, left the Democratic Party.
I think that the twentieth century gave us Teddy to FDR and Eleanor and JFK then RFK and then Teddy Kennedy shows you are wrong about his legacy stuff. Reach back a little farther and see that we survived both Adams serving us as president shows that families have legacies and not just pathologies that you warn us about.
In recognizing that there are a lot of people who don't like the Clintons, you must also see that there are as many and perhaps even more who do like them. Many of us love the Clintons and trust them: you may be in a significant minority. It may not be a matter of them being all-powerful as much as there just aren't strong enough people to make a real run at all.
Are you one of the feverish Warren folks? She wasn't even a democrat until 1998 (see this week's New Yorker profile!). She was a registered republican all through Reagan's time, all through Watergate, all through the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill era, all through the decades' long fight to keep abortion legal. And she's now the personification of the left and democrats? She's conducting purity tests as to who's fit to lead our party?
Plenty of people hated the Roosevelts and many more tired of them after four elections. But history shows these people were myopic and wrong.
History might not smile on your stance either.
In recognizing that there are a lot of people who don't like the Clintons, you must also see that there are as many and perhaps even more who do like them. Many of us love the Clintons and trust them: you may be in a significant minority. It may not be a matter of them being all-powerful as much as there just aren't strong enough people to make a real run at all.
Are you one of the feverish Warren folks? She wasn't even a democrat until 1998 (see this week's New Yorker profile!). She was a registered republican all through Reagan's time, all through Watergate, all through the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill era, all through the decades' long fight to keep abortion legal. And she's now the personification of the left and democrats? She's conducting purity tests as to who's fit to lead our party?
Plenty of people hated the Roosevelts and many more tired of them after four elections. But history shows these people were myopic and wrong.
History might not smile on your stance either.
This past year was filled with college tours and applications for my daughter. So many choices. As a resident of California and a beneficiary of its marvelous UC system, I grew up not knowing what small liberal arts colleges were; I was jealous that she had LACs as choices for her education. "They'll care about you here. You'll really learn how to think and write," I told her repeatedly after campus tours.
But when the choice came down to that beautiful Harry Potteresque school on a hill in rural New York versus a career focused institution that embeds experiential learning in its curriculum in downtown Boston, she chose the latter. Her choice. The locations were a toss-up, she likes middle of nowhere as much as city. The things that swayed her were a desire to be connected to the real world and concerns about being motivated to get a job when she gets out.
This was her choice, not mine or my wife's. We've never pressured her about school or career choices in any way. She could have pursued a career as a pastry chef, a neurosurgeon or a writer, it was a matter of indifference to us.
In the event, she's intent on creating her own job in a field that doesn't exist yet and believes that the practical orientation and "can-do" spirit of her chosen alma mater will serve her well. I believe it will too.
But when the choice came down to that beautiful Harry Potteresque school on a hill in rural New York versus a career focused institution that embeds experiential learning in its curriculum in downtown Boston, she chose the latter. Her choice. The locations were a toss-up, she likes middle of nowhere as much as city. The things that swayed her were a desire to be connected to the real world and concerns about being motivated to get a job when she gets out.
This was her choice, not mine or my wife's. We've never pressured her about school or career choices in any way. She could have pursued a career as a pastry chef, a neurosurgeon or a writer, it was a matter of indifference to us.
In the event, she's intent on creating her own job in a field that doesn't exist yet and believes that the practical orientation and "can-do" spirit of her chosen alma mater will serve her well. I believe it will too.
5
Part of the celebration of this "average man"...is that when I was a young hospital chaplain in Chicago, Hillary Clinton was in the audience when I was a guest speaker in her Methodist Church Youth group. I'm sure she carries, within her expanded being, some gems (and ancient sound bites) from that evening in 1963. More pertinent to Mr. Bruni's intent in the column today is my love for my five Grandchildren and my frustration in seeing the apparent rocky road they face as they all graduate ("all" being as of the next few weeks) from Midwestern colleges. All of them, so far, have had to "sidestep" into "meanwhile " kind of work-situations just to "survive". Already, in the first 7 comments, I am grateful to see some indication of words from commenters that some insight will be lent this morning in this troubling arena into which our young are entering . If Mrs. Clinton was listening that night I spoke, I hope that moment, related to me years later by her pastor, a college Friend, was a moment of instruction.
2
Too bad the line from high school to college is very straight--not much room for wandering on that front. It's top down standardized tests, AP classes, great GPA, an array of extra-curricular activities, and hours slaving through homework each and every night. We are training them to NOT wander. But once they get to college, or after, serendipity should take over.
I like the message, I just wish we would teach it at a younger age, and value it in our school systems. Let them wander more, read what they want more, select what they want to be taught at a younger age, experiment, have more free time. Our system wants to control imagination rather than let it wander through supposed dead-end mistakes. If this message is valuable for adults, it should be valuable for kids, too.
I like the message, I just wish we would teach it at a younger age, and value it in our school systems. Let them wander more, read what they want more, select what they want to be taught at a younger age, experiment, have more free time. Our system wants to control imagination rather than let it wander through supposed dead-end mistakes. If this message is valuable for adults, it should be valuable for kids, too.
89
I am a firm believer in theater and literature and I still remember sections of Shakespeare by heart from high school.
I am also impressed by Mr. Benenson's success, but how many failed actors actually make it? For every successful former unsuccessful actor or beer distributor, college drop-out who found himself at 40 (albeit eventually getting a degree) and succeeded, there are numerous people who just remained failures along that path or the one suggested by Mr. Bruni.
Many a college grad in humanities (and I was one decades ago and a lucky one at that in terms of the future) learns how to think critically and finds nothing to do with all those skills.
The chances are that Mr.Benenson's staff will hire a graduate in statistics or math to undertake polls and not a literature major.
I am also impressed by Mr. Benenson's success, but how many failed actors actually make it? For every successful former unsuccessful actor or beer distributor, college drop-out who found himself at 40 (albeit eventually getting a degree) and succeeded, there are numerous people who just remained failures along that path or the one suggested by Mr. Bruni.
Many a college grad in humanities (and I was one decades ago and a lucky one at that in terms of the future) learns how to think critically and finds nothing to do with all those skills.
The chances are that Mr.Benenson's staff will hire a graduate in statistics or math to undertake polls and not a literature major.
5
I have been a university faculty member since 1965; I am now an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt. I am a neuroscientist: biochemistry. I have been distraught for years over the fact that so many students have 'chosen' a professional goal, even worse, as you point out, it may have been chosen for them. I believe that every student should 'discover' what his or her goal really is, and that it may take some time to do so. I agree whole-heartedly with your belief in a liberal arts background.
24
Kudos to Frank for using Joel Benenson's somewhat non-linear life to extol the value of both a humanities-based education and a willingness to risk safety and follow one's true interests and sense of inner compass! An object lesson, perhaps, in how to bring together enthusiasm, depth of values, commitment, and success!
8
" There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune". Joel Benenson took chances, made the right decisions, and prospered. For most of us, unfortunately, life wouldn't turn out that way. A narrow, focused college education still remains the best path to success. Anticipating the needs of the twenty first century, we should focus on science and engineering courses. Shakespeare, however, should be required reading for all college students, no matter what they are majoring in. And if a college graduate can recite Hamlet's soliloquy and solve differential equations at the same time, why, I believe nothing can hold that person back!
44
I hope you don't mean "at the same time" literally! However clever you are doing both at once is certain to lead to wrong solutions and poor recitation. But yes, I would more eagerly accept a student who has a B+ in Shakespeare and in calculus than one who has 2 calculus or 2 Shakespeare A's.
Which of Hamlet's many soliloquies? Ah, there's the rub.
Wonderful column. Although my only detour was to take a year off during medical school to teach and travel, I was a history major who became a physician. Studying history and in particular oral history made me a better physician, a better listener, more empathic about the plight of every day Americans, and more willing to join with others to effect change.
132
I think it's likely more that your personality was attracted to a discipline like history in the first place than what studying it did to make you a better listener and doctor. Of the four Family Practice docs in the practice I'm a patient in, one was an Anthropology major, one International Studies, and one a French major. Of course they each had to go back to school to take pre-reqs like Physics and Organic Chemistry after their BAs, before they could apply to Med School. They all seem to be quite popular docs in town.
1
Great, great piece, Mr. Bruni.
2
Bruni is quite right, that it is a mistake to view college education has a training program for The First (post-college) Job. Even on pure careerist/vocational grounds this a big mistake. I teach computer science at Brooklyn College and it always saddens me when my students focus their academic efforts only on a narrow technical education. In part they are compelled to by the structure of NY's financial aid program TAP (Tuition Assistance Program). In its attempt to ensure that NYS taxpayers are ONLY paying for career-relevant, degree-targeted courses, TAP's rules prevent my computer science students from broadening their scope to art, cinema, psychology, political science, writing and a dozen other disciplines that would not only make them better citizens but help their careers in the long run. TAP rules in fact guarantee that NYS taxpayers get less for their money by ignoring the view presented here by Bruni.
4
Bravo, Frank!
As a graduate of a liberal arts college, I am grateful for the language skills I absorbed and the cultural and artistic history I understand. The ability to think critically, speak and write correctly, and converse intelligibly have served me well in my varied career.
The liberal arts education did not land me a high paying job immediately. But over time, my education gave me an edge on the corporate ladder.
At 18, most people can't possibly know what profession they want to enter for the rest of their lives. Too much pressure at such a young age. A better strategy is to get an education that will serve you in whatever field you eventually choose to enter.
And if you do make it to the top, you'll actually be able to converse with your peers!
As a graduate of a liberal arts college, I am grateful for the language skills I absorbed and the cultural and artistic history I understand. The ability to think critically, speak and write correctly, and converse intelligibly have served me well in my varied career.
The liberal arts education did not land me a high paying job immediately. But over time, my education gave me an edge on the corporate ladder.
At 18, most people can't possibly know what profession they want to enter for the rest of their lives. Too much pressure at such a young age. A better strategy is to get an education that will serve you in whatever field you eventually choose to enter.
And if you do make it to the top, you'll actually be able to converse with your peers!
13
Employers have lost the tolerance to hire less than "perfect fits" who do not come pre-trained. Their loss and society's loss as well. Figuring out where you best fit is a lifelong process. Critical thinking cannot take place in confined spaces. Being told to pick a career path at an earlier and earlier age is just going to lead to a more and more dissatisfied populace. The signs are already there.
105
This is an astute observation. The need to be a "perfect fit" and the need to have a resume that can get by the computer algorithm which is sorting through the pile, saps a lot of creativity out of the system. We have willfully traded away the opportunity to choose to hire the creative and the unique in a effort to streamline and automate the process. Efficiency over all.
2
Pretrained is a key point you make, Scratchbaker. Corporations used to have departments where young people, fresh from college or not, could start out in training programs or just by doing tasks they could do and learn more as they advanced.
Now firms don't want to spend the money to invest in personnel. Many go the free intern route, meaning it is up to the intern to survive on no income while being "trained."
Loyalty also was lost when the companies stopped caring about good employees nurtured in house. Why not take the skills you got while not being compensated to another place that will pay you?
Now firms don't want to spend the money to invest in personnel. Many go the free intern route, meaning it is up to the intern to survive on no income while being "trained."
Loyalty also was lost when the companies stopped caring about good employees nurtured in house. Why not take the skills you got while not being compensated to another place that will pay you?
24
Not if you're an engineer. That is a set of graduates who can write their own ticket
The higher education debate is too often framed as and either/or -- study the arts or study something practical -- as though there is no room for any blending of the two.
I prefer the model of a nearby college where the theater majors learn all aspects of theater. During their undergraduate years, they learn not only acting but also directing, scene construction, and even managing the economics of the theater. It essentially blends the examination of the language within Shakespeare with examination of the profit/loss statement for the latest production of Macbeth.
Learning does not have to be -- and indeed should not be -- an either/or decision.
I prefer the model of a nearby college where the theater majors learn all aspects of theater. During their undergraduate years, they learn not only acting but also directing, scene construction, and even managing the economics of the theater. It essentially blends the examination of the language within Shakespeare with examination of the profit/loss statement for the latest production of Macbeth.
Learning does not have to be -- and indeed should not be -- an either/or decision.
7
Mr. Bruni, you have made a good distinction between "competent" and "mindfully competent." Then, there is the US Congress. It is neither.
6
Benenson is delivering golden words of wisdom; none of us knows what will happen tomorrow. So it is better to know how to think critically and how to communicate what you are thinking that it is to have a skill have some greedy other will decree obsolete because he can get done what you do more cheaply elsewhere. The American soul has been stolen by those who believe that economics define reality and that community is an anachronism.
3
Analogies are always imperfect, but it is remarkable how closely the courses of individual lives resemble Darwinian biological evolution in general. Randomness, stochastic processes, in a person's life, such as a chance meeting, a random remark by someone else, the specific people one meets in college--all these millions of seemingly unconnected factors and forces make our life trajectories impossible to predict with accuracy or precision. It's as if each person's life is a fractal--an element in a larger scale but similar organization. The late great paleontologist Stephen Gould revealed how improbable and unpredictable the appearance of human life on this planet was, tens of millions of years ago. One of the few times when Albert Einstein was utterly wrong was when he said "God does not play dice with the universe." God may not, but particle physics and evolutionary theory reveal that we live lives largely shaped by our initial condition and random events that subsequently and unpredictably change us.
1
Too little about all those people who shunned a conventional career path and wound up working for Benenson's beer distributorship living from paycheck to paycheck.
112
Jesus, yes. Bruni isn't educated in analysis, so he doesn't understand that you have to look at the entire population of students. You don't just pick out a few successful examples and draw conclusions.
1
And he decided what they got paid. Yes, I like to hear a lot more about that!
2
And those who took conventional career paths ended up, um, all quite well off? Seriously?
1
Shakespeare was a student of human nature. Invaluable for
political strategists. Mr. Bruni discoveres America.
political strategists. Mr. Bruni discoveres America.
1
Just sent this to my twenty-three daughter who left college her sophomore year and has been having a wonderful time finding herself. Her mom and dad, at the age of 58, are about to become innkeepers for the first time in their lives. I also wrote my first novel at 55 and just self-published my 3rd last month, appropriately titled Life Is All This. We never stop learning and growing. Thank you for this.
4
"He chose Queens College because it was free and he could live at home."
I don't know Benenson's age, but I fear he grew up in quite another era. Is Queens College still free?
I was lucky to attend the state university in the late 60s. Not only could I select world-class professors in so many disciplines (and who actually taught their own courses), but my tuition was about $175/semester. I was "undecided," and I took classes from almost every college: art, English, Latin, Classics, theater, engineering, biology, astronomy, mathematics, film, history, radio/TV. I loved being a student and never wanted to leave.
I took every summer semester. I had 12 semesters under my belt before I applied for my BA, took one year off, and returned for my Masters in a completely different field that has brought me great satisfaction 45 years later. No student loans. Just working 25 or so hours a week and the generosity of my parents' hard-earned $100/month.
If I could do any one thing for kids today, I would give them such a world again. That world was stolen. You know who has it now? The 1%. And they don't care anything about you, and they're not giving it back, and they're not letting you in.
I don't know Benenson's age, but I fear he grew up in quite another era. Is Queens College still free?
I was lucky to attend the state university in the late 60s. Not only could I select world-class professors in so many disciplines (and who actually taught their own courses), but my tuition was about $175/semester. I was "undecided," and I took classes from almost every college: art, English, Latin, Classics, theater, engineering, biology, astronomy, mathematics, film, history, radio/TV. I loved being a student and never wanted to leave.
I took every summer semester. I had 12 semesters under my belt before I applied for my BA, took one year off, and returned for my Masters in a completely different field that has brought me great satisfaction 45 years later. No student loans. Just working 25 or so hours a week and the generosity of my parents' hard-earned $100/month.
If I could do any one thing for kids today, I would give them such a world again. That world was stolen. You know who has it now? The 1%. And they don't care anything about you, and they're not giving it back, and they're not letting you in.
397
Thank you, Texas, for emphasizing the key element: free tuition at Queens College.
A whole lot less intellectual wandering and its ensuing serendipity are possible when one is faced with daunting debts and stagnant middle class wages. For a kid who has never had much money, the thought of tens of thousands of dollars of indebtedness is scary and those classes potential employers don't reward are instantly frivolous in students' and parents' minds (just as they are in Rick Scott World).
Where is Hillary on these matters? Does she support reducing the interest rates on college loans to what the Fed gives to the big banks at the discount window? It's not free tuition at Queens College, but it's a start.
A whole lot less intellectual wandering and its ensuing serendipity are possible when one is faced with daunting debts and stagnant middle class wages. For a kid who has never had much money, the thought of tens of thousands of dollars of indebtedness is scary and those classes potential employers don't reward are instantly frivolous in students' and parents' minds (just as they are in Rick Scott World).
Where is Hillary on these matters? Does she support reducing the interest rates on college loans to what the Fed gives to the big banks at the discount window? It's not free tuition at Queens College, but it's a start.
2
It says he is 62, so yes, he was born at the right moment.
1
The prospect of debt isn't what keeps us from learning shakespeare. We embrace long term debt to buy a house but not for education? To start a business or grow a business but not to nurture our minds and passions and the lives of our children?
I went from being a high school drop-out in my youth to going back to school in my thirties to become an elementary teacher at 35 (I have 3 degrees now and am finishing up a fourth in public policy). Loans and debt made it all possible. As hard as it is to keep paying, it was worth every cent.
And anyone who doesn't study Shakespeare in college is an idiot and has only themselves to blame. I certainly did study classic lit and art and everything else I could squeeze in. And I draw on it every day.
Anyone who didn't has only themselves to blame.
I went from being a high school drop-out in my youth to going back to school in my thirties to become an elementary teacher at 35 (I have 3 degrees now and am finishing up a fourth in public policy). Loans and debt made it all possible. As hard as it is to keep paying, it was worth every cent.
And anyone who doesn't study Shakespeare in college is an idiot and has only themselves to blame. I certainly did study classic lit and art and everything else I could squeeze in. And I draw on it every day.
Anyone who didn't has only themselves to blame.
1
I was an English major, undergrad and grad school, who planned to spend his life teaching. After 7 years in the classroom, I stumbled upon public relations and publications, where I spent almost 40 years before retiring. Although I veered from my initial path, my education served me well throughout my career. Chose a major or course that interests you. With any luck the jobs will come along, although I'd hate to be a new graduate looking for a job in this economy. But at least today's kids don't have the draft hanging over their heads like we did.
5
In a world in which expectations of a "good job" (meaning: lots of money) were the only determinant of which academic course to pursue, we would all be lawyers, MDs and bankers. Mr. Bruni is right: learning (both in the academic setting and on the job) is not just preparation for future income, it is an opportunity for personality development - "Bildung", to use the German word. Hence, that experience is so much more rewarding if undertaken with passion instead of just as a result of your parent's cajoling. And the pursuit of initially non-lucrative but possibly very rewarding professions is not restricted to the humanities. Consider scientific fields like physics, which typically offer no direct career path, but can be wonderfully enlightning.
If a pollster can learn from Shakespeare, then perhaps a politician can learn from those who served this country well and saved capitalism FDR.
We need a real deal for the beaten down among us. Let us dedicate ourselves to a real deal for the African American community in desperate need of jobs over crime producing income. Education over jail time.
We need a real deal for those stuck in poverty working for wages that cannot grow a family out of their weak economic condition and cannot change the course of their income trajectory.
We need a real deal to bring down the cost of education debt. Reduce the financial ruin of those in their early thirties who are working hard but are burdened in debt from college loans and whacked by the loss of equity in their homes. Through no fault of their own.
We need a real deal to preserve our judicial system from the political corruption that the Supreme Court allows in Citizen United.
We need a real deal in how we choose to lead once again. Right over Might. Charity for all and malice towards none.
The real deal does not divide and conquer. The real deal believes that we the people are the government and we have an important obligation, which is to expand the right to vote.
In short, we need another FDR to move our country forward. We need another Hubert Humprey to enthusiastically promote good government and do the hard job of building coalitions of positive change. Let us seek real deal in our next President.
We need a real deal for the beaten down among us. Let us dedicate ourselves to a real deal for the African American community in desperate need of jobs over crime producing income. Education over jail time.
We need a real deal for those stuck in poverty working for wages that cannot grow a family out of their weak economic condition and cannot change the course of their income trajectory.
We need a real deal to bring down the cost of education debt. Reduce the financial ruin of those in their early thirties who are working hard but are burdened in debt from college loans and whacked by the loss of equity in their homes. Through no fault of their own.
We need a real deal to preserve our judicial system from the political corruption that the Supreme Court allows in Citizen United.
We need a real deal in how we choose to lead once again. Right over Might. Charity for all and malice towards none.
The real deal does not divide and conquer. The real deal believes that we the people are the government and we have an important obligation, which is to expand the right to vote.
In short, we need another FDR to move our country forward. We need another Hubert Humprey to enthusiastically promote good government and do the hard job of building coalitions of positive change. Let us seek real deal in our next President.
64
we need a real deal to advance zero-based population.
Are you referring to the man, FDR, who committed mass murder against innocent civilians in Japan? Twice, no less? Give me a break.
Though I've found my way to the midwest, I have a history with Joel when we were buddies at Andrew Jackson H.S. in Laurelton, Queens. We played tennis together, worked in the same summer camp and both were boyfriend to the same girlfriend (at different times).
Laurelton was a part of NYC that became quickly integrated by real estate agents who 'redlined' the area. Joel's family and mine didn't flee. Joel and I, therefore, attended a school that was 50% non-white. He made true friends of fellow students regardless of color.
I'm not adding these comments as an endorsement of Joel or Hillary. I do support both of them. I'm just filing in more of detail that cannot be fully covered in Mr. Bruni's essay.
Laurelton was a part of NYC that became quickly integrated by real estate agents who 'redlined' the area. Joel's family and mine didn't flee. Joel and I, therefore, attended a school that was 50% non-white. He made true friends of fellow students regardless of color.
I'm not adding these comments as an endorsement of Joel or Hillary. I do support both of them. I'm just filing in more of detail that cannot be fully covered in Mr. Bruni's essay.
34
Really, Mr. Bruni. Do you live, move, and have your being in Hillary Clinton?
13
This column is hardly about Hillary Clinton. It is about a man who reached out and contacted Mr. Bruni, a man with an interesting and fulfilling life.
I have no doubt Bruni would have written the same column had the man been consulting say, Jeb Bush.
I have no doubt Bruni would have written the same column had the man been consulting say, Jeb Bush.
7
I have mixed feelings about this column. On the one hand, I applaud Mr. Benenson's creativity and flexibility, and the serendipity that has graced his life and career. It would be magnificent if most careers were so graced.
Mr. Benenson has forged a path that fits him like a glove and has allowed him to shine and prosper. We should all be so lucky. Sadly, many of us encounter more bumps, for numerous reasons. Hence the endorsements of business training, internships and marketable skills: most of us are seeking to cushion anticipated or felt bumps. And many of us have encountered relatively little serendipity, especially since 2008.
That said, I will keep myself open to career serendipity. Optimism and positive outlook are important.
Mr. Benenson has forged a path that fits him like a glove and has allowed him to shine and prosper. We should all be so lucky. Sadly, many of us encounter more bumps, for numerous reasons. Hence the endorsements of business training, internships and marketable skills: most of us are seeking to cushion anticipated or felt bumps. And many of us have encountered relatively little serendipity, especially since 2008.
That said, I will keep myself open to career serendipity. Optimism and positive outlook are important.
25
Benenson is the type person Rick Scott and other GOP'ers want to discourage, through GOP'er efforts to de-fund degrees that don't lead directly to occupations GOP'ers have picked out as ' winners ' vs. ' losers ' :
https://www.google.com/search?q=rick+scott+10000+degree&ie=utf-8&...
Such efforts seem destined to kill our higher education system, considering how many students start college pursuing a degree that is in an overcrowded field by the time those frosh graduate in 4-5 years.
Benenson is correct that the goal of education should be enlightenment and edification; employment is the follow-on, with critical thinking skills being portable assets.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rick+scott+10000+degree&ie=utf-8&...
Such efforts seem destined to kill our higher education system, considering how many students start college pursuing a degree that is in an overcrowded field by the time those frosh graduate in 4-5 years.
Benenson is correct that the goal of education should be enlightenment and edification; employment is the follow-on, with critical thinking skills being portable assets.
134