Looking at the table in the post I cited, one of the variables used to predict earnings is "predicted parental income". The number of colleges applied to and the average SAT score of schools applied to has predictive power beyond parental income.
Thank you for pointing this out, I appreciate the correction. I will look at this again. LOL, unfortunately sometimes life gets in the way, making time short for indulging/immersing in new thoughts and studies I'm exploring.
Hopefully others will also read and review the study, rather than depending upon the thoughts which one or two of us may have while still digesting it.
ETA: Yes, the article states that ambition was meant in the context of the "young adult's character". That is, indeed, good news. I remember when I was in grad school and took a philosophy course where we discussed whether education was for education or for career development. It seems that is no longer a question.
Different philosophers have observed and contemplated the various uses of education in societies... both "education for education" which is often related to personal and intellectual freedom, and education for career development which has historically been related to teaching limited information needed for accomplishment of specifically assigned tasks. Philosophy courses still teach a variety of viewpoints and challenge students to consider the role(s) of education which they may observe in their corner of the world. The line between education for the mind's sake and education for task performance may have become blurred and somewhat indistinct due in part to changes which increase access to education of the mind (for example child labor laws, books, free public libraries, second-hand markets for books, radio, television, computer technology, transparent government with open meetings) and the development of societies and economies in which individuals may work at different jobs, enjoy the benefits of their efforts, and may have upward social mobility. Many people in the USA are educated (formally or self-taught as life-long learners) and exercise intellectual freedom while also working in a role in which their job may have constraints or parameters dictated by others. Meanwhile there are competing forces: practices which may work against the expansion of educating minds for intellectual independence include censorship, one-size-fits-all-education, and in some cases accreditation and credentialing which may tend to discredit fabulous paths of self-education while acknowledging a potentially narrow or limited path of prescribed learning dictated by those in power and control. For a quick overview of philosophies of education, the Wikipedia page may be of interest. Taking a Socratic view: What do your observations about education tell you about the direction of the society in which you live?
I wonder if there's a rating system somewhere that highlights the academic schools instead of the income development schools
There are many studies along these lines. One may find several analyzed in the book
How College Affects Students (2005) Pascarella & Terenzini. Consisting of over 800 pages, it includes a Summary of 100 pages and its list of references spans 140 pages.
