Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Concorde Career College-Garden Grove

With medical assistant jobs widely available but wages notoriously flat, Concorde Career College-Garden Grove produces exactly what you'd expect: credentials that unlock employment rather than career advancement. Graduates earn $26,287 their first year—landing slightly below both California's median for these programs ($26,897) and the national average ($27,186). That 40th percentile ranking in California matters because it means 60% of comparable in-state programs produce better outcomes.

The modest $9,500 debt load keeps this investment from becoming a trap. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.36, your child could realistically pay this off within a few years while working full-time. Earnings do climb 12% to $29,368 by year four, though that's still considerably below what the top California programs achieve—Empire College graduates nearly double these figures at $40,838. The question isn't whether this certificate pays for itself (it does), but whether it's the best path to medical assistant work.

The real comparison isn't to national averages but to California's stronger programs. Several community colleges and specialized academies in the state produce significantly better earning potential for similar or lower debt. If your child is set on this career path, spending time researching those higher-performing options could mean an extra $10,000+ annually—a difference that compounds substantially over a career.