Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management at Cabrillo College

Similar IT administration certificate programs in California suggest first-year earnings around $46,000—just above the national median for this credential. With estimated debt of $12,000, that translates to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.26, meaning you'd owe roughly three months of gross income. That's a manageable starting point, though IT certificates typically position graduates for help desk or entry-level support roles rather than higher-paying technical positions.

What complicates the picture here is that we're working entirely with estimates. The Department of Education suppressed Cabrillo's actual outcomes because too few recent graduates reported earnings data, so we're relying on what peer programs across California typically produce. The good news: those comparable programs cluster tightly in the $43,000-$50,000 range, suggesting reasonable consistency in this field. The caution: without Cabrillo's specific track record, you can't know whether their curriculum, local employer connections, or student support match programs that successfully place graduates.

For a short-term credential at a community college, the estimated debt burden seems proportionate to likely outcomes. But given the uncertainty, talk directly with Cabrillo's career services about placement rates and which local employers hire their certificate holders. If they can't show concrete examples of graduates landing IT jobs, that's your signal to either consider a different program or plan this as a stepping stone toward additional credentials.