Diverted to What? The Impact of Community College Attendance on Mid-Career Occupational Characteristics and Wages

Abstract We combine data from the NLSY-97 and O*NET to compare the educational attainment, wages, and occupational characteristics of similar (propensity weighted) two- and four-year starters in their thirties. Consistent with prior research, we find that two-year starters are over 20 percentage points less likely to earn a Bachelor’s degree than four-year peers. However, we find mixed results on wages. We generally identify under 10% differences in two- and four-year starters’ wages, but magnitudes and significance are somewhat sensitive to weighting specification in ways that suggest wage penalties of two-year attendance may be greater for students who more closely resemble typical four-year (rather than two-year) starters. Across specifications, we find that differences in key occupational characteristics are more modest than differences in educational attainment. Two-year starters are about 6 percentage points less likely to work in a job that typically requires a Bachelor’s and hold jobs with similar math, though lower social, skill requirements as four-year peers. Finally, we find that two-year starters more often work in the trades and applied sciences, whereas four-year peers more often work in professions such as teaching. Results highlight a need for more understanding of how college level affects life course trajectories beyond educational attainment.