Perhaps more important, more educated Americans also have many more “weak ties,” that is, connections to wider, more diverse networks. The reach and diversity of these social ties are especially valuable for social mobility and educational and economic advancement, because such ties allow educated, affluent parents and their children to tap a wealth of expertise and support that is simply inaccessible to parents and children who are less well off.¹¹

As Figure 5.2 shows, college-educated parents are more likely to “know” all sorts of people. This weak-tie advantage is especially great when it comes to occupations that are most valuable for their kids’ advancement—professors, teachers, lawyers, medical personnel, business leaders—but it is visible even among more traditional working-class connections, like police officers and neighbors. Only in knowing janitors, it appears, do less educated parents have an edge, and even there it’s close!¹²

We’ve already seen the consequences of this pattern in the lives of the families we’ve met.

• Andrew in Bend used his parents’ weak ties with a store owner and the local fire chief when he went looking for jobs.

• Carl in Atlanta arranged for Desmond to speak to some “medical folks” to explore a career in medicine.

• Clara in Orange County sought advice on her son’s college application from two friends who just happened to be a college professor and a dean.

• Marnie in Lower Merion used her personal networks to find a top ADHD consultant for Eleanor.