Construction Engineering Technologies at Sullivan County Community College

With estimated first-year earnings around $56,000 and debt near $12,500, this construction technology program appears to deliver solid immediate returns—a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.22 means graduates would owe roughly 2.5 months' salary. What's striking is that peer programs nationally suggest substantially higher earnings potential than what most New York construction tech programs report. Hudson Valley Community College, for instance, shows actual graduate earnings of $44,000, more than $10,000 below the national benchmark Sullivan County's outcomes are estimated against.

This gap raises questions about whether Sullivan County's program truly aligns with national peers, or whether New York's construction market simply pays less for associate-level technicians. The construction industry in upstate New York may lack the wage scale of Sun Belt markets where building is booming. If Sullivan County's actual outcomes track closer to Hudson Valley's reported figures, that would nearly halve the earning advantage suggested by national comparisons.

The manageable debt load works in this program's favor regardless—even at $44,000 in earnings, a $12,500 debt burden remains reasonable. But parents should recognize they're making this investment decision with limited visibility into actual outcomes. Contact the program directly to learn where recent graduates have landed jobs and what they're earning, particularly those staying in the regional market.