Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management at Johnson County Community College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.28 is among the strongest you'll find at the certificate level—but that encouraging figure comes with important caveats. Both the $42,271 first-year earnings and $12,000 debt are estimated from national medians for similar IT administration programs, not actual outcomes from Johnson County Community College. With 684 schools nationwide offering this credential, the range of results varies considerably, and without school-specific data, you're essentially betting on the national average.

The fundamental question is whether a short-term certificate can deliver the technical skills employers actually pay for. IT administration roles increasingly require hands-on experience with specific platforms and security protocols. If JCCC's curriculum translates to marketable competencies—network management, cloud administration, cybersecurity basics—the low debt load makes this a reasonable gamble. But certificate programs can vary wildly in rigor and employer recognition, and the suppressed data here means fewer than 10 students completed this program in the measurement period, suggesting it's either new, small, or inconsistently enrolled.

For a parent weighing this option: the estimated debt is manageable even if earnings fall short, which matters when outcomes are uncertain. But verify what specific certifications or skills this program delivers and whether local Kansas City employers recognize it. A certificate that leads to CompTIA or Cisco credentials has different value than one that doesn't, and peer program estimates won't tell you which category this falls into.