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Growing up, my dad only cared about two subjects → Math and Science.

History? Nah. English? Whatever. Spanish? Definitely didn’t matter.

My dad 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”? Good luck because you were grounded for the next semester. Kiss screens and friends goodbye. Three hours of homework at the kitchen table every night.

And look, he wasn’t wrong. For his world, math skills were everything.

But the world changed. Sorry dad. Thanks world.

(Quick but VERY relevant side note here:

I love my dad. Can’t tell you how many hours I had him on speakerphone as we fixed up my old camp, Stomping Ground. George, facilities guy, still calls him when he needs help. They call him DJS at camp - Doctor John Schott.

And I always paint on his mustache when I play the bad guy in a night game.)

The Winning Combination

Jobs that require working with people? They've grown like crazy since 1980. Meanwhile, jobs that are all math and technical skills but no people interaction (including a ton of STEM jobs) have actually shrunk.

The winners? Jobs requiring both math skills and social skills.

This isn't social skills versus math skills. Don’t have to choose between those teams.

It's the combo that comes out the winner.

Don’t take my word for it. Actual smart people did a study on it and you can save some time reading it (like I did) by just looking at the graph above.

Harvard economist David Deming studied this for years. His research shows that social skills reduce coordination costs. They let people specialize and work together more efficiently.

Now factor in AI mathing more of our maths. Computers are getting really good at calculations and analysis. But surprise, surprise, they're still terrible at human connection.

Reading people. Reacting to others in real time. Adapting in teams. Navigating conflict. Building trust.

That's still uniquely human, at least for now. And it's becoming more valuable, not less.

Math absolutely still matters. But math alone isn't enough anymore.

The future belongs to people who can do both.

Camp as Social Skills School

Camp might be (nah, just is) one of the best places on earth to learn these skills.

Settle in for a camp day and you know what I mean.

Kids and staff live with people they didn’t choose. Figure out and navigate conflicts without walking away or firing off a text. Make group decisions multiple times daily. Practice actual teamwork, not the “everyone does their own part” version of teamwork.

The Gaga pit? That’s negotiation training. Who’s out, what counts as a hit below the knee, whether the ball hit the wall first. Kids debate these rules with Supreme Court justice intensity.

Cabin life? Conflict resolution boot camp. Whose turn for the shower, who gets which bunk, how loud is too loud after lights out.

Color War? That’s team strategy requiring real collaboration. Not just doing what you do best, but making sure everything’s coordinated with the others who all have different strengths.

Meal times where they pass food, include the quiet kid in conversation, figure out how to make everyone feel part of the group.

Activity periods where they adapt to different groups, different counselors, different dynamics every hour.

And that’s just the structured stuff.

If we really went through the 24/7 this newsletter would become a book.

Camp is an intensive social skills laboratory. And kids are learning the exact skills that smart people research shows matter most for their future.

Teaching What Matters Most

In the simplest terms:

You’re not just running activities. You’re not just keeping kids safe and busy.

You’re teaching the most valuable workplace skills of the future.

Every conflict you mediate, every team you help form, every collaboration you facilitate. That’s job training for 2030, 2040, 2050.

Those are the skills that can’t be automated. The skills that pair with technical knowledge to create the winning combination.

Dr. Schott’s world rewarded solo math brilliance. Today’s world rewards math brilliance plus the ability to work with others.

Camp gives kids the latter more than any other place.

They learn collaboration and people skills in a total speed run.

Combine it with the school skills, and that’s a winner.

Dr. Schott had a PhD in Science. Camp gives kids a PhD in People.

You got this,

Jack

PS - I’ll be sending a version of this newsletter out to camp parents in a couple of weeks.

Want to join a group doing this exact thing?

Write For Camp is the place.

It’s where we are talking camp newsletters and how to connect with parents, staff, alumni and prospective families.

Write For Camp Writing Cohort

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It’s all about kids today

Camp is school for social skills