This season on “The Apprentice,” master showman Donald Trump pitted a college-educated team (“book smarts”) against a team of successful businesspeople who did not graduate from college (“street smarts”). He suggested that this may reveal whether a college degree is worth it.

In developing this plot line, Trump has turned his own inconsistency and ambivalence to his advantage. In season 1 of “The Apprentice,” one reason he said he fired contestant Troy was that he lacked a college education. In season 2, he told another player, Kevin, that he had too many degrees and too little business experience.

Trump has since dissolved the “book smarts” and “street smarts” teams in a “corporate restructuring.” But viewers have already absorbed the set-up: Who is better equipped for professional life, someone with a solid education or street cred?

For better or worse, opinions are affected by TV reality shows. I know of one young woman who recently cited the early wins by Trump’s “street smarts” team as justification for her decision several years ago to forgo college.

Having published books about the costs and benefits of a college education, I am fascinated by this TV theme. While the winner of a show developed to entertain viewers will not provide a definitive answer, it certainly has provoked many to debate the issue. Those who think college is overrated point to Bill Gates, a college dropout whose net worth exceeds that of most countries on the planet.

But decisions should be based on all the data, not the dramatic exceptions.

Trump announced in this season’s first show that the net worth of the high school grads was three times that of the college grads. This discrepancy is not surprising and, in fact, the decision to compare net worth is quite clever. Notice that Trump didn’t compare the current salaries or incomes of the two teams. The contestants are young — in their 20s and 30s. The more educated team sacrificed four to six years of income while they pursued their studies. Their investment of time and lost income eventually should yield greater returns.

The plain facts are that the economic odds are against the high school graduate who does not continue his or her education. A recent study found that, over a lifetime, a college graduate can expect to make $16,000 more per year than a high school graduate. This is due in part to the knowledge gained in college and only in part to the worship of credentials in American society.

In an economy where those entering the work force can expect multiple jobs and careers over their lifetime, learning how to learn, and critical thinking — both staples of the undergraduate experience — have become more important than learning a particular occupation. College provides access to careers that are not open to noncollege grads. The American dream has always been that the poorest children among us have the opportunity to succeed; a college education has always been the main vehicle for moving from poverty to the middle class.

Furthermore, a liberal arts education leads to a better quality of life, even if it turns out that your earnings are not increased. A college education enlarges your worldview, introduces students to culturally enriching experiences, and forces students to review, question and solidify their core values.

Several years ago I was asked to be the lead academic planner for a new four-year college in Henderson, Nev., a suburb of Las Vegas. There is no better laboratory test case for assessing the costs and benefits of college than the Las Vegas area. More colleges desperately are needed there. Nevada ranks last — behind even Mississippi and Arkansas — in the percentage of high school grads who go to college.

Surprisingly, the college had bitter opposition. The opponents argued that a high school graduate can work in a casino or hotel and make a huge salary. For example, the valet parking people make more than $60,000 per year, counting tips. (I realize that many people will stop reading at this point and start packing their bags to move to Las Vegas.) But to work in valet parking in “Sin City,” you must be young and beautiful. The career path after you get “old” — say over 30 — is not so pretty. And, even if you could be assured that you could still park cars at 45, would you want to?

No matter who wins on “The Apprentice” this season, what students gain from a college education can make them winners in the business world and will enrich their lives in many other ways.

David E. Drew holds the Platt Chair in Education and Management at Claremont Graduate University in California. He can be reached at david.drew@cgu.edu.