But in just one generation the four-year degree holder has leaped ahead in the earnings wars.

FORBES: Is College Worth It?

Take a well-known statistic: As recently as the 1970s, there was little difference in the lifetime earning potential between a high school grad and a four-year-college degree holder.

FORBES: Is College Worth It?

It was once assumed, for instance, that a liberal arts degree holder was numerate and literate and knew how to draw lessons from history, weigh evidence, think, write, speak, debate and learn.

FORBES: Is College Worth It?

He came to Bernstein in 2001, the youngest analyst at the time, and two years later joined the tech strategy group run by the estimable Vadim Zlotnikov, captain of his high school math team in Brooklyn and an electrical engineering double-degree-holder from MIT.

FORBES: Magazine Article

In fact, on average, the holder of a four-year college degree will earn 62% more over their lifetimes than a typical high-school graduate.

FORBES: Magazine Article