Your post doesn't address not debunk the sheepskin effect, which is the observed phenomena where, among people with equal years of education, a person with a de

Your post doesn't address not debunk the sheepskin effect, which is the observed phenomena where, among people with equal years of education, a person with a degree is paid much more than a person without. I don't think you're incorrect about mathematical maturity, but we should tie it into the theme of the thread here: the returns to a college education. In technical fields, college is akin to job training. Consequently, it's not surprising that engineering degrees have the highest out-of-college return. This is unlike obtaining a degree in the liberal arts, where the on-the-job training supersedes the importance of a college education.