In today’s Martin Center article, political-science professor Joseph Knippenberg reflects on a new book by David Epstein in which he explains why generalists often do so well in a world that seems to be dominated by experts. “The book,” Knippenberg writes, “is chock-full of anecdotes and evidence that people with breadth or range—indeed, amateurs in the true sense of the word—can contribute immensely to enterprises in environments that seem, at first glance, to respond to and reward highly specialized expertise alone.”

Good, but how does that relate to higher education?

Knippenberg continues, “As a college educator (and parent), I take to heart and endorse Epstein’s exhortations against forcing young people to decide what they want to be when they grow up before they’ve actually grown up. One of the most compelling stories in the book involves the proportion of service academy graduates who do not make a career of the military, despite our government’s investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars in their education and training and their gung-ho attitude at age 18.”

So, when colleges (and families) try to push young people into paths of specialization early, they may be making a serious mistake.

Knippenberg draws this conclusion: “In a world where the market still rewards specialization, many of the disciplines (especially in STEM fields) will take care of themselves. What need to be nurtured are those inter-, multi-, and pre-disciplinary programs that provide range and context for specialists.”