<p>it’s also a bit misleading to quote average salaries for people achieving certain levels of education. There’s no attempt to statistically disentangle whether the degree caused the increase in salary, or whether it is just another indicator of the type of person who has a high-value career.</p>
<p>We’re also talking about Columbia, which is on an extreme end of the value curve. The benefits of a Columbia education bear only superficial resemblance to the benefits of (say) San Diego State U.</p>