From our Compare and Contrast in Clear Idiomatic English desk:
Dueling op-eds in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal and New York Times about the value of a college education.
From William McGurn’s WSJ piece:
College tuitions have risen more than 440% over the last 25 years—and for what? The students who say that college has not prepared them for the real world are largely right . . .
[A recent survey] found that more than a third of seniors leave campus having shown no improvement in critical thinking, analytical reasoning, or written communications over four years. Worse, the majors and programs often thought most practical—education, business and communications—prove to be the least productive.
And yet . . .
From David Brooks’ NYT column:
Over the past several decades, the economic benefits of education have steadily risen. In 1979, the average college graduate made 38 percent more than the average high school graduate, according to the Fed chairman, Ben Bernanke. Now the average college graduate makes more than 75 percent more.
Who’s right?
Who knows.
But both columns are well worth reading in their entirety.
Campaign Outsider 
I don’t see why there’s an inherent contradiction between those 2 snippets.
Of course, citing “average” statistics on income can be quite misleading. A group of 9 unemployed people and Ken Lewis (Bank of America CEO) make an average of over $2M per year in compensation. That doesn’t help the 9 unemployed. I would also wonder if the income gap widening was due to increased earnings for college grads or decreased earnings for non-grads.
I’m with Stephen: there’s no contradiction between the gist of the two stories.
Pingback: Is A College Degree Worth The Money? (Part 2) | Campaign Outsider