Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians at Ogden-Weber Technical College

With estimated first-year earnings around $44,000 and debt near $10,000, this technical certificate appears positioned in line with the national median for industrial production programs—though both figures are based on comparable programs elsewhere rather than this school's actual outcomes. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.24 suggests graduates could potentially pay off their loans within about three months of full-time work, which is exactly where the national benchmark sits for this credential.

What makes this calculation trickier is Utah's strong technical education landscape. With only four schools offering this program statewide and no reported outcomes data from any of them, it's difficult to know whether Utah programs outperform or underperform the national pattern. The state's robust manufacturing sector and relatively low cost of living could mean these estimates are conservative, or they could miss program-specific factors that affect job placement.

The real question is whether your student has a clear path from this certificate to employment in Utah's production facilities. The estimated numbers suggest a manageable investment if the job materializes, but without actual graduate outcomes from Ogden-Weber or its Utah competitors, you're relying on national patterns that may or may not apply to this specific region and school. Talk to the program about where recent graduates are working—those conversations matter more here than the estimates can tell you.