Precision Metal Working (Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma) at Davidson-Davie Community College

Analysis

With nearly $40,000 in first-year earnings and just $11,000 in debt, Davidson-Davie's precision metal working certificate delivers one of the strongest financial returns you'll find in vocational education. That 0.28 debt ratio means graduates earn their full debt load back in roughly three months—a solid foundation for a young person entering the trades.

The program sits in the 60th percentile among North Carolina's precision metal working programs, performing notably better than the state median of $37,004. While it's not the top program in the state (NASCAR Technical Institute edges it out slightly), it outearns most community college alternatives and keeps debt lower than the state median. The low debt burden is particularly impressive, landing in the 18th percentile nationally—meaning 82% of similar programs saddle students with more debt for comparable outcomes.

The catch: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary more than at larger programs. That said, the underlying fundamentals—strong regional manufacturing demand, reasonable training costs, immediate workforce entry—suggest these numbers aren't flukes. For a student interested in skilled trades who wants to avoid four-year costs, this represents a practical path to stable employment with minimal financial risk.

Where Davidson-Davie Community College Stands

Earnings vs. debt across all precision metal working certificate's programs nationally

Earnings Distribution

How Davidson-Davie Community College graduates compare to all programs nationally

Compare to Similar Programs in North Carolina

Precision Metal Working certificate's programs at peer institutions in North Carolina (59 total in state)

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School	In-State Tuition	Earnings (1yr)	Earnings (4yr)	Median Debt	Debt/Earnings
Davidson-Davie Community CollegeThomasville	$1,978	$39,990	—	$11,000	0.28
NASCAR Technical InstituteMooresville	—	$37,568	—	$10,593	0.28
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community CollegeAsheville	$2,882	$37,078	—	—	—
Guilford Technical Community CollegeJamestown	$2,319	$36,930	$36,750	—	—
Johnston Community CollegeSmithfield	$2,657	$34,171	—	—	—
Richmond Community CollegeHamlet	$2,552	$31,268	—	—	—
National Median	—	$36,248	—	$9,000	0.25

Career Paths

Occupations commonly associated with precision metal working graduates

Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.

$60,850/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Machinists

Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Tool and Die Makers

Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools.

$57,700/yrJobs growth:

Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers

Use hand-welding, flame-cutting, hand-soldering, or brazing equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

$51,000/yrJobs growth:High school diploma or equivalent

Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to extrude or draw thermoplastic or metal materials into tubes, rods, hoses, wire, bars, or structural shapes.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend forging machines to taper, shape, or form metal or plastic parts.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to roll steel or plastic forming bends, beads, knurls, rolls, or plate, or to flatten, temper, or reduce gauge of material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend machines to saw, cut, shear, slit, punch, crimp, notch, bend, or straighten metal or plastic material.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend drilling machines to drill, bore, ream, mill, or countersink metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend lathe and turning machines to turn, bore, thread, form, or face metal or plastic materials, such as wire, rod, or bar stock.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic

Set up, operate, or tend milling or planing machines to mill, plane, shape, groove, or profile metal or plastic work pieces.

$46,800/yrJobs growth:

About This Data

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (October 2025 release)

Population: Graduates who received federal financial aid (Title IV grants or loans). At Davidson-Davie Community College, approximately 30% of students receive Pell grants. Students who did not receive federal aid are not included in these figures.

Earnings: Median earnings from IRS W-2 data for graduates who are employed and not enrolled in further education, measured 1 year after completion. Earnings are pre-tax and include wages, salaries, and self-employment income.

Debt: Median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation. Does not include private loans or Parent PLUS loans borrowed on behalf of students.

Sample Size: Based on 20 graduates with reported earnings and 19 graduates with debt data. Small samples may not be representative.