Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians at St Philip's College

Similar drafting and design programs in Texas suggest earnings around $45,500 in the first year, with typical debt near $13,500—a manageable 0.30 ratio that means roughly three months of gross pay to cover what you borrowed. That's a reasonable starting point for a technical field where hands-on skills matter more than the name on the diploma.

The challenge is that these estimates come from only three comparable programs statewide, and we don't know how St Philip's graduates specifically perform in San Antonio's job market. Austin Community College's graduates earn about $5,000 more annually based on actual data, which could reflect either stronger connections to employers or simply Austin's higher cost of living and wage scales. San Antonio's construction and manufacturing sectors do hire CAD technicians and design support staff, but the city's generally lower wages might mean St Philip's outcomes fall below the state average rather than matching it.

For parents, the core question is whether your student can secure one of those $45,000+ drafting positions rather than landing in lower-paid administrative or production work. If they can, the debt is manageable. But without actual outcome data from St Philip's, you're betting on their ability to navigate the job market with less certainty about what this specific program delivers.