UCSD - University of California - San Diego
05/12/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/12/2026 03:17
How To Not Know: Why Seeing Simone Stolzoff on May 18 May Be the Conversation You Need Right Now
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We live in a time that prizes certainty.
Everywhere we turn, there is pressure to have the right answer, the perfect plan, the hottest take, the polished personal brand. Careers are expected to make sense in neat upward lines. Social media rewards confidence performed at full volume. Even personal growth can start to feel like a competitive sport.
But what if one of the most valuable skills today is something else entirely? What if it is the ability to not know?
That timely question will take center stage the evening of May 18 when author and journalist Simone Stolzoff comes to UC San Diego for How to Not Know: A Special Presentation with Simone Stolzoff, a UC San Diego First Edition event presented in partnership with UC San Diego's Division of Extended Studies and Bookstore. The in-person event will be held at the Extended Studies La Jolla campus at 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive.
"At UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, we see every day that growth doesn't begin with certainty-it begins with curiosity," says Ed Abeyta, associate dean of student and community engagement, who helped develop the First Edition event series. "This conversation reminds us that not having all the answers isn't a weakness; it's often the starting point for transformation."
For anyone feeling weary of constant certainty culture, the event promises an evening of ideas, insight and a bit of relief.
Why this event matters now
Modern life often treats uncertainty like a malfunction.
If you feel unsure about your career, relationships, identity or future, someone is ready to sell you a framework, a hack, a seven-step blueprint or a subscription. We are told that clarity is everything and ambiguity is failure.
Stolzoff offers a different lens. His new book, "How to Not Know," challenges the pressure to define ourselves by what we do or what we know, and instead explores uncertainty as a pathway to creativity, empathy and authentic connection.
That message feels especially urgent in 2026.
"We live in what is called a polycrisis," says Stolzoff. "There's planetary uncertainty. There's economic uncertainty, political uncertainty. Maybe you're dealing with some uncertainty in your personal life, as well. And our uncertainty tolerance is decreasing."
Artificial intelligence is reshaping work. Institutions face declining trust. Many people are reconsidering careers, purpose and what success should look like. The old maps are fading, but the demand to appear certain remains strangely loud.
Stolzoff's work speaks directly into that tension.
"The key is that we have to build uncertainty tolerance," he adds. "When you're willing to tolerate uncertainty, when you're willing to turn towards what you don't know, you are able to discover the possibilities that live on the other side."
More than a career conversation
Readers may know Stolzoff from his widely praised first book, "The Good Enough Job," which questioned the idea that employment should be the center of identity and fulfillment.
At UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, we see every day that growth doesn't begin with certainty-it begins with curiosity. This conversation reminds us that not having all the answers isn't a weakness; it's often the starting point for transformation. Ed Abeyta, associate dean of student and community engagement
It struck a nerve because so many professionals quietly feel the same thing: work matters, but it cannot carry the full weight of meaning. Titles change. Companies reorganize and industries evolve. Burnout happens.
When identity is built entirely around productivity, even minor setbacks can feel seismic.
Stolzoff encourages something broader and healthier: seeing ourselves as whole people with multiple sources of purpose. Worker, yes. But also friend, learner, citizen, parent, creator, volunteer, neighbor, explorer.
"We shouldn't work less just because it allows us to be better workers," notes Stolzoff. "We should work less because it allows us to be better humans."
The hidden power of not knowing
There is also a civic dimension to Stolzoff's message.
In polarized times, certainty can become armor. People cling to positions, defend identities and stop listening. Not knowing, by contrast, can create space. Space to ask better questions and be curious instead of combative. An opening to hear another perspective without immediate dismissal. In not knowing, there's an opportunity for growth.
"Not knowing is the most intimate, because it brings us intimate to the reality of our lives where we can open our mind to learning," says Stolzoff.
That does not mean abandoning conviction. It means pairing conviction with humility. It is difficult to imagine a more useful skill for modern life.
Why UC San Diego is the right home for this conversation
When you're willing to tolerate uncertainty, when you're willing to turn towards what you don't know, you are able to discover the possibilities that live on the other side. Simone Stolzhoff, author of "How to Not Know"
There is a natural fit between Stolzoff's ideas and UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, an institution built around lifelong learning and reinvention.
Adult learners understand that growth often begins when certainty ends. Whether a life's journey includes returning to school to change careers or learn new technologies, to start over in a new field or to explore an interest later in life, it often begins not with confidence, but with curiosity.
That is the spirit this event celebrates.
What to expect on May 18
Audiences can expect a conversation that is thoughtful, practical and deeply relevant. Stolzoff blends research, cultural observation and warmth, making complex ideas feel personal and actionable.
Rather than offering another rigid formula for success, he invites people to loosen their grip on formulas altogether.
That may be exactly what many need: permission to be unfinished, to be curious and to keep learning. This upcoming appearance gives audiences a rare opportunity to experience that conversation live.
Because sometimes the most important thing you can learn next is not an answer. It is how to live well inside the question.
To learn more or register, visit How to Not Know: A Special Presentation with Simone Stolzoff.
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Why You Should Attend
If you are navigating career questions, burnout, change, uncertainty or simply the strange velocity of modern life, Simone Stolzoff offers an original take on work, identity and meaning.
How to Not Know: A Special Presentation with Simone Stolzoff
Monday, May 18 - 6:00-7:30 PM
UC San Diego Extended Studies La Jolla Campus at 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive
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