Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Coalinga College

Coalinga's nursing program graduates start strong with nearly $100,000 in first-year earnings—well above the national median but roughly middle-of-the-pack for California, where nursing salaries run exceptionally high. That initial salary combined with just $13,350 in debt creates an immediately favorable financial picture, with graduates earning 7.5 times their debt in the first year alone.

The significant concern here is the earnings trajectory: by year four, median pay drops to $82,627, a 17% decline that's unusual for nursing careers which typically see steady growth. This could reflect graduates moving to part-time work, leaving the field, or relocating to lower-paying regions. It's worth noting the sample size is small (under 30 graduates tracked), so these numbers may not tell the full story—a few graduates' choices could skew the averages considerably.

For California families, this program offers reasonable debt and competitive starting pay, but the earnings pattern deserves attention. If your child plans to stay in nursing long-term and work full-time in California's high-paying healthcare markets, the initial financial position is solid. Just recognize that these particular data points show an atypical downward trend that warrants investigating program completion rates and graduate employment patterns before committing.