Precision Metal Working (Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma) at Aims Community College

Median Earnings (1yr)

$47,680

95th percentile

80th percentile in Colorado

Est. Median Debt

$8,236

Est. from CO median (4 programs)

Analysis

Aims Community College graduates from this precision metal working certificate earn $47,680 in their first year—putting them ahead of 95% of similar programs nationally and outperforming every other metal working program in Colorado with reported data, including Emily Griffith Technical College's $44,943. That's exceptional performance for a short-term credential. Based on comparable certificate programs at the school, students typically graduate with around $8,200 in debt, yielding a remarkably low debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.17.

The math here is straightforward: peer programs suggest debt around $8,200 against nearly $48,000 in first-year earnings. That means graduates could theoretically pay off their loans with less than two months' salary. While we're working with estimated debt figures (the graduate cohort was too small for the Department of Education to publish actual debt data), the earnings figure is concrete and substantially higher than both the state median of $37,249 and national median of $36,248 for this credential.

For parents worried about certificate programs delivering real value, this represents one of the clearer positive cases. The combination of verified high earnings, low estimated debt, and quick time-to-completion makes this a low-risk pathway into skilled trades. Colorado's manufacturing sector appears to reward these specific skills well above the national baseline.

Where Aims Community College Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all precision metal working certificate's programs nationally

Earnings Distribution

How Aims Community College graduates compare to all programs nationally

Compare to Similar Programs in Colorado

Precision Metal Working certificate's programs at peer institutions in Colorado (15 total in state)

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School	In-State Tuition	Earnings (1yr)	Earnings (4yr)	Median Debt*	Debt/Earnings
Aims Community CollegeGreeley	$2,090	$47,680	—	$8,236*	—
Emily Griffith Technical CollegeDenver	—	$44,943	—	$8,125*	0.18
Lincoln College of Technology-DenverDenver	—	$37,249	$42,279	$9,429*	0.25
Front Range Community CollegeWestminster	$4,740	$34,125	$42,114	$8,347*	0.24
Pueblo Community CollegePueblo	$4,883	$25,970	$33,636	$6,625*	0.26
National Median	—	$36,248	—	$9,000*	0.25

* Estimated from similar programs

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with precision metal working graduates

Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.

$60,850/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Tool and Die Makers

Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

$51,000/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At Aims Community College, approximately 17% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Sample Size: Based on 20 graduates with reported earnings and 17 graduates with debt data. Small samples may not be representative.