Growing up, my dad only cared about two subjects: math and science.
History? English? Not as important. Spanish? Definitely didn’t matter as much.
Dr. Schott has a PhD in remote sensing. He launched satellites into space and did calculus to figure out what they saw. Imagine Jack Ryan but instead of jacked and handsome, a super nerd with a villain mustache.
Got bad grades in the subjects that “mattered”? Kiss screens and friends goodbye. Three hours of homework at the kitchen table every night.
And look, he wasn’t wrong. For his world, for his career, math skills were everything.
But it’s becoming increasingly obvious that success in the world means more than just technical skills now.
(Quick but relevant side note:
I love my dad. Can’t tell you how many hours I have had him on speaker phone as I try to fix things or need help with my car. He’s probably the smartest person I know.)
The Winning Combo
Jobs that require working with people? They’ve grown dramatically since 1980. Meanwhile, jobs that are all math and technical skills but minimal people interaction (including many STEM jobs) have actually shrunk.
The winners? Jobs requiring both math skills and social skills.
This isn’t social skills versus math skills. Kids don’t have to choose.
It’s the combination that wins.
Harvard economist David Deming studied this for years. His research shows that social skills reduce coordination costs. They help people specialize and work together more efficiently.
And as technology handles more of the computational work, the uniquely human skills become even more valuable.
Reading people. Reacting to others in real time. Adapting in teams. Navigating conflict. Building trust.
These skills are becoming more important, not less.
Math and academics absolutely still matter. They’re essential. But they’re not enough on their own anymore.
The future belongs to people who can do both.
What Your Kids Are Learning
Camp is one of the best places on earth to develop these skills.
Think about what happens during a typical day at K&E:
Kids live with bunkmates from all over. They navigate conflicts without walking away or texting about it. They make group decisions multiple times daily. They practice actual teamwork → not the “everyone does their own part” version, but real collaboration where they have to coordinate with others.
The Gaga pit? That’s negotiation in action. Who’s out, what counts as a hit below the knee, whether the ball touched the wall first. They debate these rules with super high intensity.
Bunk life? Conflict resolution daily. Whose turn for the shower, who gets which bunk, whose turn it is to sweep, how to live together peacefully.
Color War? Team strategy that requires genuine collaboration. Not just doing their individual job well, but coordinating with teammates who all have different strengths.
Meal times where they pass food, include the quieter kids in conversation, figure out how to make everyone feel part of the group.
Activity periods where they adapt to different groups, different staff, different dynamics every hour.
And honestly, that’s just the structured parts of the day.
The real learning happens in the in-between moments. Reading social cues from bunkmates. Figuring out when to lead versus follow. Learning when someone needs space versus support. Adapting how they communicate to different people and different situations.
Camp is an intensive social skills laboratory.
And your kids are learning the exact skills that research shows matter most for their future.
What This Actually Means
Look, every summer kids come for 6.5 weeks and have an amazing time. Camp is camp after all. Make friends, build confidence, and create memories they’ll carry forever.
But there’s always this other thing happening too.
They’re speed running the skills that will be with them in every job they’ll ever have, every team they’ll ever join, every relationship they’ll build.
The ability to work with others. To navigate differences. To collaborate effectively. To read a room and adapt.
None of these are “nice to have” pieces of their makeup. They’re increasingly the skills that determine success.
Dr. Schott’s world rewarded solo math brilliance. Today’s world rewards that same brilliance plus the ability to be with people.
Camp gives kids both.
They’re learning collaboration and people skills at an incredible pace. Combined with what they learn in school, that’s a winner.
Dr. Schott had a PhD in Science. Camp gives kids a PhD in People.
And honestly? In the world they’re growing up into, they’re going to need both.
Let’s talk camp, schedule here
Jack
PS (A longer one)
In this complicated and contentious world, sometimes I feel nervous about continuing to write so much about the positivity of camp when there is plenty of real struggle to be consumed by.
I was incredibly grateful to get this from a camp director friend in Jerusalem who gets some of the emails I share with other camp directors.
Below is part of the response, inspiring me to continue to believe the positivity and kindness learned at camp is as important as ever.
Dear Jack,
We all read your recent piece about social skills and camp, and laughingly agreed.
Why? None of us are math whizzes or tech specialists (even though we sometimes have to be) but we’re all deeply social people who navigate life and conflict resolution, in-and-out of camp and our year-round programs for children, teens and young adults with diverse needs and disabilities in Jerusalem. Yes, Jerusalem.
It’s a place that for many might feel scary but in truth living here is a lesson in learning to get along with the other, whether that’s a person who’s religious or not, or from a different culture than your own, be it Arab or Israeli, Ethiopian or Georgian, along with so many other cultural groups that all live and breathe together (or try for sure) in this crowded and complicated country….