Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Riverside County Office of Education-School of Career Education

California's nursing workforce commands solid pay, and based on comparable programs across the state, this certificate appears positioned near the median—with estimated first-year earnings around $53,040. That's notably above the national benchmark of $44,134, reflecting California's higher cost of living and healthcare wages. The estimated $9,500 debt load is also significantly lighter than both the state median ($17,421) and national figure ($14,803), creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.18 that suggests graduates could feasibly pay this off within months of working.

The caveat worth understanding: both figures here are estimates derived from peer programs because this school's graduate cohort was too small for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes. Looking at the state's top-performing programs—where Unitek College and others report earnings exceeding $65,000—there's clearly variation in how well different schools prepare students for higher-paying opportunities. With 67% of students here receiving Pell grants, the school serves a population for whom even modest debt matters considerably.

For families weighing this investment, the estimated numbers suggest reasonable value—low debt paired with earnings that should support loan repayment quickly. However, you're making this decision without seeing this specific program's actual graduate outcomes, which means understanding the school's clinical placement relationships, NCLEX pass rates, and job placement support becomes even more critical to ensuring your student lands in that median range rather than below it.