To weigh the power of human capital versus signaling, however, we must zero in on occupations with little or no plausible connection to traditional academic curricula. Despite many debatable cases, there are common jobs that workers clearly don’t learn in school. Almost no one goes to high school to become a bartender, cashier, cook, janitor, security guard, or waiter. No one goes to a four-year college to prepare for such jobs. Yet as Figure 4.1 shows, the labor market pays bartenders, cashiers, cooks, janitors, security guards, and waiters for high school diplomas and college degrees.
