Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at New Mexico State University-Alamogordo

Something worrying happens between year one and year four for graduates of this program. While peer automotive programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $42,900—a respectable start that would make the estimated $11,425 in debt manageable—actual reported earnings at the four-year mark drop to just $26,644. That's a 38% decline when most careers should be moving upward, and it raises serious questions about whether graduates are staying in the automotive field or finding the work sustainable long-term.

New Mexico's automotive technology programs show considerable variation, with the top program (New Mexico Junior College) producing first-year earnings above $52,000 while others fall into the mid-$30,000s. Without school-specific data here, it's impossible to know where Alamogordo typically lands in that range. What we do know is that the four-year earnings figure—the one piece of actual data for this program—suggests graduates may be struggling to build careers that justify even a modest two-year degree investment.

The math works on paper if graduates earn what similar programs predict and stay in automotive work. But that dramatic earnings drop by year four is a red flag that can't be ignored. Before committing, your child needs clear answers about job placement rates, whether graduates are working in their field years later, and why earnings might be falling rather than rising with experience.