Human Development, Family Studies, at City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College

First-year earnings of $37,381 place Truman College's Human Development program well above most peers nationally—in the 95th percentile—though it falls closer to the middle of Illinois options where this field tends to pay better overall. The estimated $12,889 in debt (based on similar associate programs nationally) would be manageable at about four months of first-year earnings, suggesting graduates can realistically handle repayment while building their careers in child development, family services, or related social service roles.

The catch is that those debt figures are estimates drawn from peer programs, not actual outcomes for Truman's specific graduates. The DOE suppresses data when graduate samples are too small, which means we're working with educated guesses rather than hard numbers for this particular program. That said, Truman's strong earnings performance—notably higher than the $25,838 national median and competitive with other City Colleges programs that do report data—suggests this program delivers real value despite the data limitations.

For families concerned about return on investment, an associate's degree that produces near-$40K earnings with likely modest debt is about as strong a setup as community colleges offer. The key question is whether your child plans to stop at the associate level or use this as a stepping stone to a bachelor's degree, which could further boost earning potential in human services fields.