Computer Programming at Paradise Valley Community College

A $17,750 debt load against $38,000 in first-year earnings puts this community college program in manageable territory—at least based on what national peer programs typically produce. That 0.47 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates would theoretically spend less than half their first year's salary paying off their loans, which is reasonable by most standards. But here's the catch: both figures are national estimates because Paradise Valley's actual graduate outcomes aren't reported due to small sample sizes.

Arizona has 14 schools offering associate degrees in computer programming, yet none report actual earnings data publicly. That makes it impossible to know whether Arizona's job market supports these national benchmarks or lags behind them. Tech hubs like Phoenix should theoretically offer solid entry points for programming graduates, but without state-specific data, you're betting on national averages holding true locally. The modest Pell grant percentage (19%) suggests this isn't primarily serving lower-income students who might struggle most if outcomes fall short of estimates.

The fundamentals look defensible: community college pricing keeps debt low, and programming skills remain marketable. But you're making this decision without knowing how Paradise Valley's specific graduates actually fare in the Arizona job market. If your child can connect with alumni or the career services office to learn actual placement rates and starting salaries, that would fill a critical gap the federal data can't.