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> At 40 you’re comparing engineers vs a group that suddenly includes lawyers and MBAs. Sure, the fact that the career paths diverge is... the whole point. The

> At 40 you’re comparing engineers vs a group that suddenly includes lawyers and MBAs. Sure, the fact that the career paths diverge is... the whole point. The cohort didn’t change, one part of it went to law school and the other didn’t. Your analogy is totally off base.

jnwatson 7y ago
Plenty of engineers get JDs and MBAs too. It sounds they are selecting for engineers that didn't get postgraduate degrees.
- smogcutter 7y ago
  Article is paywalled for me, but that’s not what the quote says.
dpark 7y ago
When you explicitly select people who are between 23 and 25 and have entered the work force, you are intentionally selecting for people who do not have a JD and are not actively earning one. The set of 23 year old lawyers is essentially nonexistent. The set of 23 year olds working full time and also enrolled in law school is hardly much larger.
- lonelappde 7y ago
  Where is the evidence that they selected for employed grads?
  - dpark 7y ago
    It’s in the part of the article I quoted. “Computer science and engineering majors ... who were working full time earned an average of $61,744 ... higher than the average starting salary of $45,032 earned by people who majored in history or the social sciences...”
- smogcutter 7y ago
  Ah, I see what you mean. I’ll grant that the “currently employed” requirement artificially inflates the starting salary figures, probably more so for history majors than engineers. The broader point remains, though, that history/social science degrees can lead to paths that, if pursued, end at higher salaries. Also, I expect salaries are also higher for engineers/developers with a masters or PhD than just a BS, so there’s some of the same effect in that population too. (Although I suppose it’s more likely that engineering students seeking advanced degrees, especially PhDs, are also working full time).

jnwatson 7y ago

Plenty of engineers get JDs and MBAs too. It sounds they are selecting for engineers that didn't get postgraduate degrees.

smogcutter 7y ago
Article is paywalled for me, but that’s not what the quote says.

dpark 7y ago

When you explicitly select people who are between 23 and 25 and have entered the work force, you are intentionally selecting for people who do not have a JD and are not actively earning one. The set of 23 year old lawyers is essentially nonexistent. The set of 23 year olds working full time and also enrolled in law school is hardly much larger.

lonelappde 7y ago
Where is the evidence that they selected for employed grads?
- dpark 7y ago
  It’s in the part of the article I quoted. “Computer science and engineering majors ... who were working full time earned an average of $61,744 ... higher than the average starting salary of $45,032 earned by people who majored in history or the social sciences...”
smogcutter 7y ago
Ah, I see what you mean. I’ll grant that the “currently employed” requirement artificially inflates the starting salary figures, probably more so for history majors than engineers. The broader point remains, though, that history/social science degrees can lead to paths that, if pursued, end at higher salaries. Also, I expect salaries are also higher for engineers/developers with a masters or PhD than just a BS, so there’s some of the same effect in that population too. (Although I suppose it’s more likely that engineering students seeking advanced degrees, especially PhDs, are also working full time).