Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Pima Community College

Pima Community College's automotive program posts impressive first-year earnings of $52,673—nearly $10,000 above the national median and ranking in the 95th percentile nationally. Even more striking is the debt load: just $5,625, which means graduates can earn nearly ten times their debt in their first year alone. Among Arizona's 14 automotive programs, this performs notably better than the state median of $40,213, landing in the 80th percentile statewide.

The significant caveat here is the earnings trajectory. Four years out, median pay drops to $40,738, a 23% decline that's unusual for skilled trades. This could reflect several factors—perhaps early grads take overtime-heavy dealership positions that later even out, or maybe some leave the field. With fewer than 30 graduates in this dataset, individual career paths can skew the numbers substantially. Still, even at the four-year mark, earnings remain reasonable relative to the minimal debt.

For parents whose children genuinely want to work on vehicles, this represents a low-risk path into the field. The debt is manageable regardless of how earnings evolve, and the strong early compensation gives graduates financial breathing room. Just understand that the stellar first-year number may not tell the whole story about long-term pay in this career.