Precision Metal Working (Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma) at Butler Technology and Career Development Schools

Analysis

Butler Technology's precision metalworking program delivers strong earnings at a remarkably low cost—just $6,327 in typical debt. That's about one-third the borrowing required at most Ohio metalworking programs, where median debt runs $9,500. With graduates earning $42,625 in their first year, you're looking at a debt burden equivalent to less than two months' salary, one of the best ratios you'll find in skilled trades training.

While earnings land at the 60th percentile among Ohio's 61 metalworking programs—respectable but not elite—the cost advantage changes the equation. Graduates here earn about $4,000 more annually than the typical Ohio metalworking certificate holder, yet pay substantially less to get there. Compared to top state programs like Hobart Institute (where graduates earn $45,370), Butler students trail by roughly $2,700 but likely carry far less debt.

For families concerned about training costs in skilled trades, this program offers a practical path. Your child can enter a growing field with minimal borrowing while still achieving above-average earnings. The moderate sample size suggests consistent outcomes across multiple graduating classes. The real value here isn't in maximizing first-year salary—it's in launching a manufacturing career without the debt burden that often accompanies it.

Where Butler Technology and Career Development Schools Stands

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

Earnings Distribution

How Butler Technology and Career Development Schools graduates compare to all programs nationally

Compare to Similar Programs in Ohio

Precision Metal Working certificate's programs at peer institutions in Ohio (61 total in state)

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School	In-State Tuition	Earnings (1yr)	Earnings (4yr)	Median Debt	Debt/Earnings
Butler Technology and Career Development SchoolsMonroe	—	$42,625	—	$6,327	0.15
Hobart Institute of Welding TechnologyTroy	—	$45,370	$47,472	$5,500	0.12
Great Oaks Career CampusesCincinnati	—	$41,277	$38,354	$6,078	0.15
Fortis College-Cuyahoga FallsCuyahoga Falls	$14,050	$39,990	$35,129	—	—
Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical SchoolsGroveport	—	$39,328	$44,145	$6,485	0.16
Elite Welding Academy LLCCincinnati	—	$38,717	$48,013	$9,500	0.25
National Median	—	$36,248	—	$9,000	0.25

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 Butler Technology and Career Development Schools, approximately 24% 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 40 graduates with reported earnings and 40 graduates with debt data. Small samples may not be representative.