Do you think that generally people who study harder in school deserve to make more money?

Question

That is the way it generally is in the Western world today. According to these stats, the average income for someone with no high school degree is only $22,000. For someone with a college degree, it is $76,000.

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nolabels · Accepted Answer

This question is way too simplified to be answered without going into what actually makes a person financially more valuable than another.

Here's one example of many that are possible: An ambitious young high school graduate decides to go into business for themselves doing something that maybe someone briefly showed them how to do, maybe they did this "whatever" as a summer job, and they took to it.
It's a somewhat labor-intensive business, requiring a modest starting investment in equipment, which the young entrepreneur is quickly able to come up with.
They then realize that by hiring a crew, they can then concentrate on sales, more crews are hired, more equipment bought, and so on.
Before they know it, they're a thriving business, no longer engaged in manual labor, living large.

Does that young non-college educated person deserve the relatively enormous fruits of their endeavors less so than the potentially somewhat lesser earning value of a college-educated professional?
Yes?
No?

All types of comparisons can be made here.
That's one scenario.
I've seen it played out by many young people over the years, sustaining them with incredible financial rewards over decades with stable businesses that then get turned over to go on to sustain their children's families.

Another example: Blue-collar, skilled tradespeople usually make pretty good money, but the physical work that is essential for them to do in combination with their intelligence and skill fairly quickly tears down their bodies, resulting in them in many cases having to resort to much lower paying employment to finish out their working days, IF, they haven't been already permanently disabled by their previous higher paying occupations.
Customers complain about the high cost of skilled services, but who else knows how to perform those services to such a high degree of competency as those skilled people can?
Who would a customer trust to hire who is willing to provide such services at a lower cost?
People get what they pay for.

Examples of the earning power of different peoples is an extremely complicated subject.

I was unable to access the linked page accompanying this question, so I don't know what it might have contained as a persuader, either way.

The question, as presented, seems simple enough at first glance to be able to answer.
It seems simple enough to answer, but really, it's not.

I'll assume, for a moment, that the thought here in this question is that these two classes of people go to work for "The Man", and then have an average salary doled out to them commensurate with their education level. Are those comparative salaries then fair?
I'll address what I can, currently having no access to your linked page.

I'd say that those two income levels seem to have been selected as extremes, with a very wide gap between them.

I'll go no farther in entertaining this question.

Entrepreneurism, if one has it within them, baby, is the way to go!

Drewtate · Accepted Answer

Do you trust the stats? When a company hires someone they are supposedly hiring someone for their competency, knowledge, experience and work. In certain fields of employment yes a college degree and level of education is paramount but the problem is that many with a college degree barely scraped by in high school and college and really put in the time rather than learning anything, another problem is that many college graduates are doing very watered down degrees that are worthless to them and any potential employer and really only qualifies them for employment in Starbucks serving coffee and has wasted years and given them huge debts for the privilege of a gender studies degree. Graduates who got a degree 20 or 30 years ago will on average make more than a person who did not but in the last 10 years this is maybe not the case. Take a look at some of these new woke degrees.

DishLady · Accepted Answer

It depends... If you're the TOP STUDENT at basketweaving major and applying for a top jobs along with folks who just got their MBA, for example... Think about who should get the high-paying finance job... the kid with the MBA... It's not all about the GPA and diligence within the major, but the content, the person's social skills, and so much more...

SotiCoto · Answer

It might make a modicum of sense if the topic of study was relevant to the job and led to better performance...
... but most jobs don't care what subject you have a degree in. Only that you have a degree at all. And absolutely nothing you learnt in University could be of any relevance to the job you get in the end, and it will still lead to you having better chances than if you hadn't bothered...

... and THAT doesn't make any fucking sense whatsoever.

Anonymous · Answer

it makes sense if you put in the work, you should reap the rewards of it

should high school drop-outs who do drugs and play video games all day be billionaires?

should championship trophies be given to the best natural athlete, not the one high on steroids?

granted this is not how the world works but generally speaking, hard work should be rewarded and not given due to the other qualifiers e. g. DEI or good looks

AviatorTom · Answer

It's not about studying harder, it's about learning experience. The more experience a person has, which is partly dependent on how much they have been trained or learned on their own, the more successful their career usually is.

HawkPerception · Answer

Work hard, play hard. I believe they deserve it if they worked for it. But school isn't the sole decider of success. It does definitely correlate though. As long as you work hard on learning a skill that you can market, you can make money doing it.

andreasderjuengere · Answer

What irritates me is the term ''deserve'' :)

Interestingly - most of the nerds from my school time never managed to have an interesting life.

With, or without ''making more money''.

Some even wear a necktie now.

RavVid · Answer

well those who studied harder, worked harder and it makes sense that they worked harder after leaving school than those who didn't study hard. And therefore got further.

LiamJHayden · Answer

I cannot agree, because "studying harder" for courses that lead to a nowhere career should not be compensated more than studying adequately for something that pays well because it is in demand.

Avicenna · Answer

Getting good grades doesn't necessarily mean you'll be a better entrepreneur or a more productive employee.

DrPepper12 · Answer

GENERALLY yes but I've seen some kids after 4 years apprenticed to a trade making $170K and the college kid is pulling in $16 an hour saying do you want fries with that?

BonzoInBitburg · Answer

The job market is supply and demand. Higher demand jobs will always pay more

Astarlessnightsky · Answer

Study harder and getting a degree are two different things

dreamstar72 · Answer

The word “deserve” is the main problem with the 2000’s generation.

OddBeMe · Answer

Yes what’s the problem? And it’s not even smart or not. It’s now hard you work. I’m not that smart. But I put in the fucking hours. Didn’t drop out and expect a decent wage.

exitseven · Answer

That is how it should work. Majoring in math and science should get more money.

Alex-Snow · Answer

It shows that they are self starters and dedicated so I'd say Yes

OtterMan68 · Answer

some people have to study harder

MacDaddyRico · Answer

Depends on your Major.

noohair · Answer

Harder no, smarter yes.

gorydetails · Answer

Absolutely.

Do you think that generally people who study harder in school deserve to make more money?

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