Electrical and Power Transmission Installers at Lincoln Technical Institute-Iselin

Lincoln Tech's Iselin campus sits in the middle of New Jersey's electrical installer programs—60th percentile statewide—but this middle-of-the-pack position masks a significant gap with national standards. At $31,480 first-year earnings, graduates here earn about $7,200 less than the national median for this certificate. That's nearly 20% below what electrical installers typically make elsewhere in the country, though it matches what other NJ programs achieve.

The debt picture offers the program's main selling point: $14,587 is manageable compared to many certificate programs, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.46. You're looking at roughly six months of gross income to cover educational costs—a reasonable threshold for a trade certificate. With 62% of students receiving Pell grants, this relatively low debt burden matters for the working-class families the school serves.

The core question is whether New Jersey's compressed earnings for this trade make the investment worthwhile. Other Lincoln Tech locations in the state report similar outcomes, suggesting this reflects regional wage structures rather than campus-specific issues. If your child plans to stay in New Jersey, they should understand they're training for a field where local wages lag the national market by thousands annually—potentially $50,000+ over a decade. Programs in states with stronger electrical trades markets might justify relocation for better long-term returns.