Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Glendale Career College-North-West College-Bakersfield

The earnings trajectory here tells a troubling story: graduates see their income drop nearly 17% between their first and fourth year—from $26,106 down to $21,714. That's the opposite of what you want from career training, and it suggests graduates may be struggling to advance or even maintain their foothold in the field. With 67% of students receiving Pell grants, these declining earnings hit a particularly vulnerable population.

The program sits squarely at the median for California medical assisting programs, but that state median itself looks weak when you see top performers like Empire College and Bay Area Medical Academy placing graduates at $40,000+. The gap isn't about location or credential type—it's about program quality and employer connections. The relatively modest debt load ($9,319) offers little consolation when fourth-year earnings barely exceed $20,000.

For a family considering this program, the question is straightforward: why accept below-average earnings that decline over time when California has 185 allied health programs to choose from? Unless there are compelling geographic or timing constraints, this investment points toward limited career mobility in a field where better-performing programs demonstrate stronger outcomes are achievable.