Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) at CET-Coachella

CET-Coachella's HVAC program delivers exactly what you'd expect from a certificate program—modest earnings with minimal debt—but lags behind other California schools in a state with strong demand for these skills. Four-year earnings of $43,714 rank in just the 40th percentile among California HVAC programs, roughly $5,500 below the state median and well behind top performers like DeHart Technical School that help graduates reach nearly $44,000.

The upside here is purely financial: at $6,160 in debt, students borrow 40% less than typical California HVAC graduates and finish with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.17—meaning they could theoretically pay off loans in just two months of gross income. That's a meaningful advantage for the 41% of students here who receive Pell grants. Earnings do grow 22% over four years, which is healthy momentum for a trade program.

The tradeoff is straightforward. Your child will enter the workforce with almost no debt burden but earning less than peers at other California schools. In a field where technicians are in high demand across the state, that earnings gap matters. If staying local in the Coachella Valley makes sense logistically, this program won't saddle your child with unmanageable debt. But if relocation is possible, other California schools are producing graduates who earn $3,000-$5,000 more annually for similar upfront investment.