Indeed. Equally the person who has 4 Years experience in the workplace probably does better than a first year grad.

In other words, when trying to measure value outcomes, what time period should one consider?

And does the rule apply at the college level or the program level? If I churn out 100 people in my law school, can I average their prospects with 50 from my Archaeology degree? Or with 50 from my "music in movies" degree?