FIGURE EP.3 Older, Wiser, and Richer Adolescents find it easier to think about their immediate experiences (a boring math class) rather than their middle-age income, so some drop out of high school to take a job that will someday pay $500 a week. But over an average of 40 years of employment, someone who completes a master’s degree earns half a million dollars more than someone who leaves school in eleventh grade. That translates into about $90,000 for each year of education from twelfth grade to a master’s. The earnings gap is even wider than those numbers indicate because this chart compares adults who have jobs, yet finding work is more difficult for those with less education.