Sign in

Ben Wildavsky

@wildavsky.bsky.social
564 followers 289 following 47 posts

Author, The Career Arts: Making the Most of College, Credentials, and Connections, from @PrincetonUPress. Senior Advisor, Harvard Project on Workforce.

PostsRepliesMedia
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Bear in mind that the French use the word "collège" to refer to middle school or junior high - so for your purposes it's what they call a faux ami.
100
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
But note overall undergrad enrollment is up slightly, per Clearinghouse. So this is a high percentage of small, low-enrollment institutions, mostly privates. A shakeout, yes, but easy to misinterpret.
210
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Thank you! This confirms what I suspected: compared to your initial stat showing some college grads with low earnings, FOUR TIMES more college grads see an earnings premium of $30,000 within just 4 years of graduation. Even a 20k premium would be good as % of average salaries at that age!
020
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
@mitzkow.bsky.social Could you rerun the numbers with a $30,000 cutoff for grads earning more than their peers w/out college degrees? That would still be strong ROI (especially if the cohort is within 5-10 years of graduation - please clarify ). I predict it's a huge # and less misleading comparison
100
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Edinburgh Futures Institute @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
What university structures do we need by 2050? Vivienne Stern, Jamie Bartlett & Ben Wildavsky explore leadership, strategy and reinvention. 18 Sept, 2:00–3:30 PM, EFI + online. Free. Register: efi.ed.ac.uk/event/building-the-uni…
011
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
From a quick search: Rabindranath Tagore, "The Sunset of the Century" (written on the last day of 1899, the year of "The White Man's Burden," and published in English in Nationalism)
081
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
A University of London tradition dating back to the 19th century! Talk about being an early adopter...
010
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
The Career Arts by @wildavsky.bsky.social reveals why college education & job preparation are not either-or propositions & identifies the blend of education & networking needed to support real-world career aspirations. Out now in #paperback. Read a free preview: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
The Career Arts: Making the Most of College, Credentials, and Connections by Ben Wildavsky. "A level-headed discussion of the abiding value of a college degree and why earning one is compatible with acquiring the practical skills valued in the workplace."—Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes "A 2023 Best Higher Education Book" and Editors' Pick
181
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Someone such as you has nothing about which to feel bad!
010
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Pedantry can be an occupational hazard for copyeditors! This distinction is less hard and fast than you think, IMHO. See this Grammarphobia post: grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/02...
grammarphobia.com
The Grammarphobia Blog: A likely story: “like” vs. “such as”
Is it OK to use "like" to mean "such as"?
110
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
The Hechinger Report @hechingerreport.org · 14/04/2026
A 337-acre campus was created to help close the training gaps of thousands of newly hired engineering graduates 
hechingerreport.org
Why India’s Infosys has a university of its own
MYSORE, India — Employers around the world share a familiar complaint: Universities often don’t prepare students for fast-changing job demands. Too many new graduates need extra preparation before they’re workforce-ready. In India, rather than waiting for higher education to catch up, major employers are designing their own education programs for new hires. It’s a model that offers a glimpse of where some American firms may be heading. Rishi Agrawal knows the college-to-career disconnect firsthand — along with one influential company’s solution. He grew up in a small village in central India.
001
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
My latest in @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social
010
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
What happens when a large employer stops waiting for universities to prepare workers? I visited the @infosys.bsky.social 337-acre corporate university in India, where 20,000 new hires train for up to 5 months. New in @hechingerreport.org
hechingerreport.org
India’s Infosys has created a university of its own to train new hires
Employers say universities often don’t prepare students for fast-changing job demands, and new graduates are not workforce-ready. In India, major employers are designing their own education programs f...
000
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
I'm excited that The Career Arts is now out in paperback. I've been thinking a lot, inevitably, about its relevance to the age of AI. More to come on that soon!
063
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
No Steller sea lions?
110
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Footnotes maybe included in word count for MS Word but not Google docs? Pretty sure I had a similar discrepancy for that reason (and congrats!)
010
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
For the Bluesky Pogues catalog - rare French ticket stub
073
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Intoduce yourself with 5 concerts you’ve seen Blondie Black Uhuru Dead Kennedys Joan Armatrading The Pogues
072
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
You may not be able to wrap up a good life, but the books in our "Inspiring Ideas for Living Well" gift guide offer abundant wisdom for someone to find a path to living well themselves. Explore our selections and save 30% with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/collections/... #GiftGuide #ReadUP
121
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Vikings also begins with V, and the Vikings were in England, so that settles it.
110
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
For the brochure
592
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
- I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton. Sort of a professional version, to her former manager, of the love-song break-up: “Good-bye, please don't cry 'Cause we both know that I'm not What you need”
020
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Billy Bragg - St Swithin’s Day youtu.be/Bl0cXwSa6VY?...
youtu.be
Billy Bragg - St Swithin's Day
YouTube video by cookingvinylarchive
010
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
For @chronicle.com, @wildavsky.bsky.social, author of The Career Arts, spoke with Alexander C. Kafka about networking for college students:
chronicle.com
Students’ New Imperative: Always Be Networking
The job market stinks and AI is gumming up application systems. So old-fashioned people skills are the new must-have asset.
043
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
After the pardons came the purge: The people who beat police officers and tried to block the democratic transfer of power were spared. The people who did their jobs by prosecuting them for their crimes were punished. Dan Barry @alanfeuer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/n...
nytimes.com
Reframing Jan. 6: After the Pardons, the Purge
1824993
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Lmk whether Bobby Zimmerman ever visited Winona and encountered antisemitism?
110
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Don't know that one, but remember @princetonupress.bsky.social also has amazing nature books, including birds!
000
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Jon Rauch @jonrauch.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
This is why I can't endorse the Manhattan Statement (a declaration about higher ed organized by Christopher Rufo of the Manhattan Institute), even though I share some of its goals. www.theunpopulist.net/p/a-manhatta...
theunpopulist.net
A Manhattan Institute Manifesto Would Give this President Sweeping Power to Force University Compliance with Right-Wing Demands
The statement is selling a naked ideological agenda as a defense of campus free speech
2123
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
music.apple.com/us/album/i-w...
music.apple.com
I Want to Know by Jimmy Cliff on Apple Music
Song · 1974 · Duration 2:46
000
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
Tomorrow (May 5) at 11:30 am PDT: @wildavsky.bsky.social, author of The Career Arts, will be moderating @milkeninstitute.org's Global Conference 2025 panel, "Upskill Battle: The Race to Rewire America's Workforce." For more details, visit:
milkeninstitute.org
Panel - Upskill Battle: The Race to Rewire America's Workforce | Milken Institute
AI is already displacing entire sectors of American workers, from software engineers to music producers. But even in an age of machines, we will still need teachers, construction workers, airline…
041
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Soviet Virginia is not for lovers.
091
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Next: take this with you on neighborhood walks? www.uline.com/Product/Deta...
uline.com
Standard Trash Picker - 32
Makes trash cleanup easy on your back. Rubber grippers. Durable aluminum construction will not rust. Locking feature on handle. ULINE offers over 43,000 boxes, plastic poly bags, mailing tubes, wareho...
120
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Harvard Education Press @harvard-ed-press.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Kathleen deLaski recently appeared on @wildavsky.bsky.social‬'s #HigherEdSpotlight podcast and spoke about her new book, WHO NEEDS COLLEGE ANYMORE? Listen to the conversation here: bit.ly/4hN3HEl
bit.ly
Author and Reformer Kathleen deLaski on What a Different Higher Ed Future Could Look Like
Podcast Episode · Higher Ed Spotlight · 03/20/2025 · 19m
011
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
New #HigherEdSpotlight podcast episode with Kathleen deLaski, author of "Who Needs College Anymore?"
linkedin.com
Author and Reformer Kathleen deLaski on What a Different Higher Ed Future… | Ben Wildavsky
With traditional higher ed getting more scrutiny than ever in 2025, my latest #HigherEdSpotlight guest is Kathleen deLaski, author of "Who Needs College…
051
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Harvard Education Press @harvard-ed-press.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
"[College] doesn’t serve the needs of many. There’s a reason only 38 percent of American adults have a degree." —Kathleen deLaski in an interview with @wildavsky.bsky.social for @washingtonmonthly.com‬ bit.ly/3XhKOlo
bit.ly
Who Needs College Anymore? | Washington Monthly
Kathleen deLaski's new book asks how to make higher ed not only more accessible but applicable to Americans’ real lives.
032
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Beautiful. Here’s my own amateur effort: the South Island robin, also known as the kakaruai, taken on the Routeburn Track in New Zealand
130
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
For @washingtonmonthly.com, The Career Arts author @wildavsky.bsky.social spoke with Kathleen deLaski for her new book Who Needs College Anymore? and about how college isn’t right for everyone: washingtonmonthly.com/2025/02/20/w...
washingtonmonthly.com
Who Needs College Anymore? | Washington Monthly
Kathleen deLaski's new book asks how to make higher ed not only more accessible but applicable to Americans’ real lives.
043
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Washington Monthly @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
A new book asks how to make higher education not only more accessible but more applicable to Americans’ real lives. @wildavsky.bsky.social sits down with the author:
washingtonmonthly.com
Who Needs College Anymore? | Washington Monthly
Kathleen deLaski's new book asks how to make higher ed not only more accessible but applicable to Americans’ real lives.
073
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Great conversation w/Kathleen deLaski about her new book Who Needs College Anymore? for this @washingtonmonthly.com Q&A. She calls for a much more expansive definition of college, and better alternatives for “new majority learners” who haven’t been well-served by traditional higher ed.
washingtonmonthly.com
Who Needs College Anymore? | Washington Monthly
Kathleen deLaski's new book asks how to make higher ed not only more accessible but applicable to Americans’ real lives.
022
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Princeton University Press @princetonupress.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
It’s been 15 years since The Great Brain Race by @wildavsky.bsky.social published! Listen to his conversation with Alex Usher for The World of Higher Education about the progress and challenges in global higher education: worlded.transistor.fm/episodes/the...
worlded.transistor.fm
The World of Higher Education | The Great Brain Race, 15 years later with Ben Wildavsky
Join Alex Usher on the World of Higher Education podcast as he revisits 'The Great Brain Race' with author Ben Wildavsky. They explore the book's thesis on globalization in higher education, the tr...
011
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Was my take on higher ed globalization too optimistic when I published “The Great Brain Race” with @princetonupress.bsky.social 15 years ago? I argue that the principle of “free trade in minds” still holds in this fun video podcast with @alexusherhesa.bsky.social
042
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
My Q&A with Nicholas Lemann in the new issue of @educationnext.bsky.social - the case for testing content over aptitude to promote mass access. Adapted from our recent #HigherEdSpotlight conversation.
educationnext.org
Who Needs Harvard?
Higher education in the U.S. is so much more than its selective colleges—and can be fairer for so many more students
000
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
My new essay in @chronicle.com's special report on experiential learning highlights innovative approaches to career preparation: collaboration with employers in 🇨🇦 Canada, lifelong learning in 🇸🇬 Singapore, degree-apprenticeships in 🇩🇪 Germany, and microcredentials in 🇳🇿 New Zealand. Feedback welcome!
drive.google.com
Wildavsky CHE essay - 4 Lessons We Can Learn From Abroad.pdf
020
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Academic Life 🌎📚 @academiclife.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Is there a trade off between going to college and gaining practical skills for a career? ⬇️🎧 @princetonupress.bsky.social #HigherEducation #AcademicSky podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The cover of the book The Career Arts: Making the Most of Colleges, Credentials and Connections by Ben Wildavsky
042
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Good to see my robust exchange with Ryan Craig about apprenticeships and degrees made the @educationnext.bsky.social top 20 for 2024. As I get more interested in degree-apprenticeship combinations, I actually think Ryan and I may be headed toward a cosmic convergence!
020
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
"Like the founders, we can be anti-elitists without falling into the trap of being anti-education." Great NYT piece by Michael Roth, president of @wesleyanuniversity.bsky.social
nytimes.com
Opinion | How Higher Education Can Win America Back (Gift Article)
Jefferson believed in the egalitarian potential of education, and we should, too.
021
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
I like snare drums.
010
Reposted by Ben Wildavsky
Shalin Jyotishi @shalinjyotishi.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Thanks to Ben Wildavsky for having me on his Higher Ed Spotlight to share what we're learning about how the #CHIPS and Science Act is spurring new #workforce partnerships between #industry and #highered around #emergingtech sectors. Apple link: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... #scipol #STS
031
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
What will the incoming Trump administration mean for the CHIPS and Science Act? And how does this ambitious piece of industrial policy connect to higher ed + workforce development, anyway? Great season 3 finale #HigherEdSpotlight convo w/@shalinjyotishi.bsky.social. Full episode 👉 tiny.cc/tim0001 🎧
020
Ben Wildavsky @wildavsky.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
New #HigherEdSpotlight episode with Scott Pulsipher, president of Western Governors University. We covered WGU’s competency-based model + its move to degree apprenticeships w/acquisition of Craft Education. Timely during National Apprenticeship Week #NAW2024. Full episode here: 👉 tiny.cc/68cwzz 🎧
051