Data Processing at Everett Community College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.41 suggests this associate's degree could be manageable, though the numbers come with significant uncertainty. Based on comparable data processing programs nationally, graduates typically earn around $38,600 in their first year while carrying roughly $15,800 in debt. That translates to roughly five months of gross income to pay off loans—a reasonable threshold if the earnings figures hold true for Everett's specific program.

The challenge is that both earnings and debt are estimated from peer programs rather than tracked outcomes from Everett graduates themselves. Washington has seven schools offering data processing associate's degrees, but none report publicly available graduate outcomes, making it difficult to assess how this program stacks up regionally. What we do know is that community college data processing programs can lead to entry-level IT roles, but career advancement often requires additional certifications or a bachelor's degree. The relatively low Pell grant percentage (16%) suggests this isn't primarily serving lower-income students who would be most vulnerable to debt burden.

If your child is certain about an IT career path and plans to continue their education or pursue industry certifications, this could be a reasonable starting point. But given that we're working entirely from estimates rather than actual graduate outcomes, have a frank conversation with the program about where recent graduates have landed jobs and what their actual starting salaries look like locally.