Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians at Shoreline Community College

The debt picture looks manageable—comparable programs nationally suggest around $12,000, putting graduates in a reasonable position to start their careers. But the earnings trajectory here raises questions. While similar programs nationally produce first-year earnings around $56,700, the reported four-year figure of $44,000 suggests graduates may be stepping backward rather than forward in their careers. That's unusual for a technical field and worth understanding before committing.

Washington's industrial production programs typically perform much stronger, with median earnings above $86,000—significantly higher than what peer institutions nationally produce. Olympic College, for instance, reports exactly that figure for its graduates. Whether Shoreline's program connects students to different industries or job types that explain this gap isn't clear from the data alone, but the difference between state norms and what's indicated here is substantial enough to investigate.

With a debt-to-earnings ratio around 0.21 based on national comparisons, the financial risk isn't alarming. However, the four-year earnings decline and the wide gap between this program's trajectory and Washington's stronger industrial production outcomes suggest this may not deliver the returns typical of technical degrees in the state. Before enrolling, determine whether graduates are finding the manufacturing and production roles that command higher wages in Washington's economy.