Fire Protection at Century College

With estimated first-year earnings around $56,000 and debt near $10,400, Century College's fire protection program appears positioned close to the national middle ground for associate-level programs in this field. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19 suggests graduates could reasonably pay down loans within two years of full-time work—a manageable burden by most measures. The estimates here come from comparable programs nationwide, since this specific program's graduate cohort is too small for federal reporting thresholds.

The field itself offers clearer financial pathways than many two-year credentials. Fire protection careers typically provide stable public sector employment with benefits, though the $56,000 starting point falls well short of what top programs nationally report—some place graduates earning above $75,000 in their first year. Minnesota hosts six fire protection programs at this level, but none have reported graduate outcomes recently, making it difficult to assess whether local job markets justify the same optimism as elsewhere.

For parents weighing this path, the relatively low debt load matters more than the uncertainty around exact earnings. If your child is committed to firefighting or fire safety careers, an associate degree with under $11,000 in debt leaves room to adjust if local opportunities disappoint. The bigger question is whether Century's program connections and curriculum actually lead to placements—something the numbers alone can't answer.