Originally Posted by Bostonian
Reporting on earnings gaps that ignore differences in intelligence and other personal attributes is misleading.
Agreed!

Just skimming Trends in Education (Education Pays 2013) so far but a few things jump out...
1- chart on page 14 does not seem to take into account the discipline in which the degree is earned.
Some may say this makes the report an apples-and-oranges comparison.

Other charts from the College Board Trends in Education report depict...
2- "40-year full-time working life" (p12) 40 years seems a short career length, a short time in the workforce.
3- age 25 to 64 (p12) 40 years seems to be a short career length, a short time in the workforce.
4- p16 shows only 25% of persons age 65+ participating in labor force, regardless of level of education.
- - Does the under-representation of this demographic (age 65+) in the workforce reflect age discrimination?
- - Do they have fair, equal, equitable, impartial access to employment opportunities for which they are qualified?
- - Is there a forced early retirement?
- - Are the 25% >= age 65 who are employed, self-employed persons?
5- loan repayment for approximately one fourth to one half of the described full-time working life (10 to 18 years).
6- "full-time year-round workers" (p13) Seems to exclude teachers, meanwhile education is large part of our economy
7- "2011... age 25 - 34... 1971-2011" (p16) Refers to historical data reflective of the educational system and economy of a bygone era

In skimming this report I have not found the type of disclaimer typically printed on prospectus and other financial reports, to the effect that "past results do not guarantee future performance." Yet this document seems to be written to persuade individuals to invest in higher education, by suggesting this will result in a personal financial increase.

This report focuses on full-time workers, meanwhile the economy is languishing - some have reported hours being cut from full-time to <29 in response to Affordable Healthcare Act.

Quote
My serious advice is that gifted students should take Advanced Placement courses in high school, see if they can earn a combined BA/MA in four years, and then look for work.
While every case is different, I've seen this work successfully. smile