Every year, a new class of college graduates struggles to make the transition from the academic environment, which rewards merit and nurtures their idealism, to the purely pragmatic and deeply dysfunctional corporate workplace in which politics often determine one’s fate.

In THE COMMENCEMENT ODYSSEY, Stephen Blair Venable explores this epic shift through his richly informed examination of the transition from academia to the corporate world. Venable ably demonstrates that “[the corporate workplace] is fundamentally ill suited to the basic needs and characteristics of the human beings who inhabit it.” As a result, the traditional hierarchical workplace has become the source of a myriad of destructive societal outcomes: (1) it is stifling the creativity and productivity of our workers, thus limiting corporate profitability and national economic growth; (2) it is driving a near epidemic of depression, anxiety, and other work-related illnesses among employees and thus contributing significantly to soaring healthcare expenditures; and (3) it is putting significant pressure on marriages and other personal relationships. Despite its outdated and distorted practices, the traditional corporate workplace remains the tail that wags the dog of American life.

Along with addressing the foundational causes of workplace dysfunction, Venable offers a step-by-step prescription for fixing the corporate workplace and bridging the gap between a productive life and a good life.

Venable also makes a quite compelling case for changing post-secondary education such that every college education would include coursework in what he calls "Real World Studies." This coursework would give students a chance to meaningfully consider, in a multi-disciplinary way, the conflicts and perils of the real world workplace (especially the corporate workplace) before they actually enter it. As Venable explains, this crucial learning would give them a chance to make more informed decisions about their respective paths to a life of meaning, value, and purpose.

This pioneering book will be of interest to anyone who has a stake in ensuring a healthy and prosperous society.