Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians at Highland Community College

Similar programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $56,700 for this industrial production technologies associate's degree, paired with an estimated debt load of $12,000. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.21 looks manageable on paper—you'd be borrowing roughly two months' worth of salary to fund the credential. For a two-year technical degree, that's a reasonable financial exchange if the earnings materialize.

The challenge here is uncertainty. Highland's specific program lacks published outcomes because too few graduates were tracked, so these figures come from peer programs nationwide rather than actual data from Freeport. Illinois has 25 schools offering similar programs, but none with publicly reported outcomes for comparison either. You're essentially betting that Highland's curriculum and industry connections will produce results in line with the national average, without local data to confirm that northern Illinois manufacturing opportunities match what technicians earn elsewhere.

If your child has strong interest in manufacturing and production work, and Highland offers hands-on training with local employer partnerships, the estimated debt burden won't be crushing even if earnings fall somewhat short. But push the school for placement rates and employer connections specific to this program—when data is sparse, talking to faculty and recent graduates becomes essential homework before committing.