Tyler Cowen – Average Is Over review

In a nutshell (304 pages), this is a very well written prediction of the future economy. The work that will be available in that economy. The sorts of education one will need to succeed. As well as what individual success will look like and what individual success will mean.

What I got out of it

Cowen writes well and is easy to follow and understand. He really paints the 360-degree image of the world he believes we are moving towards, the good and the bad. He covers in equal parts and with equal seriousness who has the best chance of having a good life (in economic terms at least), and what the rest can do to improve their odds and outcomes. The advice he gives sounds reasonable and is very actionable.

What was difficult

If you don’t like chess, the endless chess analogies can be tiring. I do like chess and it seemed like a lot. That said, you don’t need to know very much about the game to understand the points he is making in relation to the game. And he does not repeatedly go back to chess without good reason. It’s just a solid metaphor and point of reference for mental ability.

Recommendation

Anyone not retiring in the near future, and especially young adults and young parents should read this book. I don’t recommend reading a summary because there’s a lot of really great material in the book and he doesn’t just write to fill the pages, nor repeat the same things. It makes for solid audiobook material as well because it reads much more like a good story than a textbook.