Somatic Bodywork at River Valley Community College

River Valley's somatic bodywork certificate graduates earn notably more than their peers nationally—landing in the 85th percentile—but there's an important catch buried in the numbers. While first-year earnings of $24,455 outpace the national median by over $4,000, graduates carry $20,312 in debt for what's essentially a certificate program. That's more than double the typical debt load for this field nationally, though the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83 remains manageable if these earnings hold steady.

The New Hampshire context matters here. With only five schools offering this program statewide and River Valley sitting at the state median for both earnings and debt, you're looking at a limited local market where outcomes cluster tightly. The high debt likely reflects New Hampshire's cost structure rather than any particular weakness in River Valley's program—but that doesn't make the loans any easier to repay on $24,000 annually.

For a working parent considering this as career retraining or a student drawn to bodywork, understand what you're buying: solid earnings potential for the field, but at certificate-level debt that approaches what many associate degree holders carry. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) adds uncertainty. If your child is passionate about somatic bodywork and plans to stay in New Hampshire, this could work—just recognize they'll spend their first few years digging out from under that debt rather than building savings.