Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at Houston Community College

Houston Community College's business operations certificate delivers something rare: top-tier outcomes that dramatically outperform both state and national benchmarks. At $37,482 in first-year earnings, graduates earn more than double the Texas median ($18,214) and nearly $10,000 above even Dallas College, the state's next-best program. This places HCC in the 95th percentile both nationally and statewide—a remarkable position for a community college certificate.

The debt load of $18,797 is higher than typical for certificate programs, but context matters here. That 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe roughly half their first-year salary, and they're starting at earnings levels that many bachelor's degree holders would envy. The 6% earnings decline by year four is worth noting, though graduates still earn $35,364—well above what peers from other Texas programs start with.

One major caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes vary more than they would at larger programs. That said, if your child wants business operations training and plans to work in the Houston area, this certificate offers substantially better financial returns than alternatives, even with the higher upfront debt. The earnings advantage is simply too large to ignore.