Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians at Orion Technical College

Orion Technical College graduates start strong at $60,220, but their earnings drop 13% by year four—an unusual pattern that demands explanation. While this puts them behind the national median for electrical engineering technology programs, they're actually performing at the state median for Iowa. The catch? This is currently the only bachelor's-level program in this field reported in Iowa, making that comparison less meaningful than it appears.

The debt load of $28,302 is reasonable, creating a first-year debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.47 that most families could manage. But that calculation assumes earnings stability, which these graduates clearly don't have. By year four, when many borrowers are still repaying loans, the median salary of $52,317 represents a significant financial squeeze compared to where these graduates started. This earnings decline could reflect graduates taking technician roles that plateau quickly, rather than engineering-track positions with growth potential.

For a family considering this program, the critical question is why earnings drop after an initially promising start. The moderate sample size suggests these numbers are reasonably reliable, and with 57% of students receiving Pell grants, many families here are making this work. But you'd want to understand the specific job placements and whether graduates are positioned for long-term career advancement or settling into roles that cap out early.