Is career success all about skills? Or is networking underrated?

If a fight broke out, you'd want Ben Wildavsky to step in and help everyone get calm again. He's a long-time education journalist who just published "The Career Arts," a refreshingly clear survey of today's many educational paths toward better careers.

Most of the time, Wildavsky steers us toward the sensible middle. His book is upbeat about the rise of fast-paced skills training, while still supporting an important role for the slower, deeper tempos of a classic four-year college degree. He's got kind words for the classic liberal arts approach, even if many politicians don't.

But there's one part of the book where Wildavsky takes sides -- bravely and boldly. And that's the section that fascinated me the most.

Everything heats up in Chapter 4, which takes a deep look at the importance of networking and social-capital formation at all levels of education. We're now in the territory of that timeless aphorism: "It's not what you know, it's who you know."

Lots of people get squeamish about such topics, because historically social capital runs deepest among the entrenched elites. For immigrants or first-generation college students with less impressive networks, their outsider status can seem like an irreparable shortcoming -- to the point that it can feel as if we'd all be better off if networking's edge was taken out of the equation.

Wildavsky, however, has a more elegant solution. Everything works better, he argues, if we try harder to make sure that social capital is more evenly distributed. What if society did more to help people who grew up in tough circumstances get a fair shake?

Colleges and universities already provide some of these opportunities to everyone -- and they could do a lot more, Wildavsky argues. "Networking of any kind is either underemphasized or misunderstood in the field of career readiness," he writes. And the insiders know it.

An especially telling quote in the book comes from Rachel Lipson, former director of Harvard University's Program on Workforce. "We've over-emphasized skills relative to networks," she declares.

All the while, the keys to a better and more equitable future are right in front of us. Wildavsky writes approvingly of programs such as Braven, Climb Hire and Year Up that create opportunity ladders for first-generation college students or people looking to build better careers without having attended college. Each of these programs systematically teaches networking skills, while helping participants put them to use.

Within the four-year college setting, job-search tools such as Handshake can help all students build stronger networks. Elite colleges such as Oberlin, with their larger resources, are stepping up efforts to help traditionally under-represented students win at the networking game, too.

"Breaking into new networks will no doubt still be challenging for many people," Wildavsky writes. "But it's encouraging that for low-income students seeking to build career success . . . education and skill are increasingly recognized to be necessary but not sufficient. Social capital shouldn't have to play second fiddle anymore."

Wildavsky's insight is especially true in fields such as sales, journalism, politics and investment banking -- where strong networking is crucial. (Being good at networking might even be your No. 1 skill.)

Lots to debate here. If you've got a social-capital story to share, you're very much invited to add your experience in the comments section below.