Wonklife: The college premium
The numbers show a conflicted yet striking pattern. Real earnings for men, 25 to 34, with bachelor’s degrees are down 19 percent since 2000, and for female college graduates of that age they are down 16 percent since 2003.
Yet the wage differential between college graduates and high school…
“It’s now common that a fire chief has to have a master’s degree. That may sound silly and it would be easy to think that a master’s degree has not very much to do with putting out fires. Still, often it is desired that a firefighter is trained in emergency medical services, anti-terrorism practices, fire science (such as putting out industrial fires), and there is a demand for firefighter who, as they move into leadership roles, can do public speaking, interact with the community, and write grant proposals. A master’s degree is no guarantee of skill in these areas, but suddenly the new requirements don’t sound so crazy.”
Tyler Cowen’s response to the NYTimes Room for Debate topic, “Should College be for Everyone?”
Students struggling to afford higher education are at risk of being among the first victims of Washington’s current budget battle. 
