Plumbing at Hohokus School of Trade and Technical Sciences

The earnings trajectory here tells a worrying story: graduates start at just $25,000—well below both the national median ($35,252) and even the New Jersey median ($27,578) for plumbing programs. While earnings improve 31% by year four, reaching $32,804, that's still $2,500 below the national median and ranks this program in just the 13th percentile nationally. Even within New Jersey's limited field of four plumbing programs, this sits at the 40th percentile, behind Adult and Continuing Education-BCTS where grads earn $30,000 right away.

The one bright spot is manageable debt: at $10,728, it's relatively low for the trades and creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.43—meaning graduates could theoretically pay this off within six months of first-year earnings. With 65% of students receiving Pell grants, keeping debt low matters here. However, low debt doesn't offset earnings that lag the field by thousands of dollars annually, especially when plumbers typically earn solid middle-class wages elsewhere.

For a family considering this program, the question is straightforward: why start $10,000 behind your peers in the same trade? Unless there are compelling reasons—like job placement guarantees or specialized connections—other New Jersey programs appear to offer better value for launching a plumbing career. The modest debt makes this less risky than some alternatives, but it's still not the strongest foundation for a well-paying skilled trade.