A senior in high school had no interest in pursuing a four-year college degree. “I can start in a trade and make as much or more money than after four years in college,” he told his parents. Is he right?

Jay Akridge, former dean of the Purdue College of Agriculture and former Purdue provost, says more young people reach similar conclusions today. Yet facts indicate college is still the most profitable choice over the long term for many people.

How do you persuade a young person to consider college? “It can be challenging,” Akridge acknowledges. “Explain facts and benefits of attending college, especially a land-grant college. Talk about all benefits, including financial.

“For their part, land grants must deliver an education that prepares a student for the first job and lays the foundation for all future job changes. My biggest fear is that students who could benefit the most from college may not pursue it because of lack of information or misinformation.”

Akridge presented data during a lecture on the role of land-grant colleges in the U.S. Here is a point-counterpoint peek at facts:

Point: Employers are considering relaxing requirements for a college degree. Akridge points to a survey from The Burning Glass Institute indicating that from 2017 through 2019 (pre-COVID-19), for high-skilled jobs, 31% of employers saw relaxed requirements requiring a college degree to obtain the position. For middle-skill jobs, it was even higher, at 46%.

Counterpoint: How will this trend play out going forward? About two-thirds of the requirements that were relaxed during the pandemic were expected to be permanent.

Point: Today’s college graduates are prepared for work. About 95% of college administrators say their graduates are somewhat prepared to very prepared.

Counterpoint: How prepared graduates are depends on who you ask. Meanwhile, only 14% of the public strongly agrees college graduates are ready for the workplace. Among business leaders, it’s just 11%.

Point: College graduates feel proficient. In a 2017 national survey, nearly 90% of graduates rated themselves proficient for professionalism and work ethic. Almost 80% felt they were proficient in oral and written communications and problem-solving.

Counterpoint: Employers viewed recent graduates differently. Only a tad over 40% rated graduates as ready to be professionals and proficient in oral and written communications. Just over half of employers gave grads good marks on problem-solving.

Point: Education increases lifetime earnings. A Georgetown University study estimated someone with a high school diploma would have median lifetime earnings of around $1.6 million. Without the diploma, earnings dropped to $1.2 million. With a high school diploma and some college education, lifetime earnings were $1.9 million.

Counterpoint: A bachelor’s degree boosts income. Over a lifetime, a bachelor’s degree compared to a high school diploma was worth about $2.8 million. That’s a $1.2 million premium over a high school diploma in lifetime earnings.

Point: Higher degrees equal more lifetime income. Expected lifetime incomes for someone with a bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate and professional degree were $2.8 million, $3.2 million, $4 million and $4.7 million, respectively.

Counterpoint: Some with lesser degrees will earn more. About 28% with an associate degree and 16% with only a high school diploma will earn more than 50% of those with bachelor’s degrees.

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of articles about the future of land-grant colleges. Read the first article, Land-grant colleges still relevant today, and the second article, Headwinds buffet colleges, land grants.