Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians at Polaris Career Center

If you're worried about your child taking on debt for a certificate program, this one offers an unusually clean financial picture. Polaris Career Center graduates leave with just $6,365 in debt—less than half the national average for this field—while earning slightly above both national and state medians. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.17 means graduates can realistically pay off their loans in months, not years, making this one of the lowest-risk training options in environmental control work.

The earnings trajectory looks solid too, climbing from $37,480 to $44,506 over four years—a 19% increase that suggests graduates are gaining traction in their field rather than plateauing. Among Ohio's 19 programs, this one ranks right at the state median for both earnings and debt, which in this case means students get typical outcomes without the above-average debt burden that plagues many competing programs nationally.

The real appeal here is straightforward: your child can gain marketable skills in environmental systems and HVAC work without the financial anxiety that comes with larger loans. For families looking at vocational training, the combination of low debt and steady earnings growth makes this a low-stakes way to enter a field with consistent demand.