Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at College of the Sequoias

College of the Sequoias graduates earn $57,242 just one year after completing this program—55% more than the national median and solidly above the state median of $48,908. While this ranks in the 60th percentile among California's 100 programs, that context matters less than the absolute numbers: these graduates are taking home nearly $50,000 annually with just an associate's degree and $14,000 in debt, well below both state and national averages. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.24 means graduates should be able to pay off their loans in roughly three months of earnings.

The program shows essentially flat earnings from year one to year four, which is unusual but not necessarily problematic at this income level. Many allied health positions offer stable, predictable compensation rather than aggressive salary growth, and $56,000-$57,000 represents solid middle-class earning power in California's Central Valley, where cost of living is substantially lower than coastal metros.

For families concerned about education costs, this represents one of the better value propositions in California healthcare training. Your child would graduate with manageable debt and immediate access to wages that exceed most bachelor's degree holders nationally. The lack of dramatic salary growth shouldn't overshadow the fundamental strength: strong starting pay with minimal debt at a school serving many lower-income students.