Fire Protection at Aparicio-Levy Technical College

Based on comparable Fire Protection programs in Florida, this certificate suggests a debt load around $9,600 for first-year earnings near $47,000—a conservative 0.20 debt-to-earnings ratio that's manageable even in a field where salaries start modestly. Fire protection credentials are typically vocational pathways with quick entry to employment, and similar Florida programs cluster tightly around these figures, suggesting relatively consistent outcomes statewide. The challenge is that without actual graduate data from Aparicio-Levy, you're betting on whether this school's training and employer connections match those of established community colleges in the Tampa market.

The comparison programs reveal something important: Florida's top-performing fire protection certificates at St. Petersburg College and Northwest Florida State produce first-year earnings $5,000-$9,000 higher than the state median. If Aparicio-Levy's outcomes fall in the lower half of Florida programs rather than tracking with nearby Hillsborough Community College (which reports $50,300), that earnings gap compounds over a career in a field where advancement is often tied to additional certifications and experience.

For a technical certificate, the estimated debt is reasonable—it's well within the "one year of salary or less" guideline. But Tampa has community college options with transparent outcome data and established fire department relationships. Before committing, confirm Aparicio-Levy's job placement rates and ask which fire departments actively recruit from their program, since local hiring pipelines matter enormously in public safety fields.