Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies at Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Jackson

Tennessee's diesel and heavy equipment programs show a wide earnings spread, and this Jackson campus appears to land in the middle of the pack. While peer programs across Tennessee suggest first-year earnings around $47,400, top schools in the state—including sister TCAT campuses—are producing graduates earning $54,000 to $57,600. That $7,000-$10,000 gap matters when you're evaluating training programs with similar debt loads.

The debt picture looks reasonable at an estimated $8,800, well below what similar programs typically carry both in Tennessee ($12,000) and nationally ($9,500). Based on comparable programs, that translates to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.19—meaning students would owe less than two months of their expected first-year income. The four-year earnings figure of $46,570 suggests relatively flat wage growth in the early years, which is common in skilled trades where entry-level workers start near journey-level pay.

For a parent, the question isn't whether this training pays off—heavy equipment maintenance clearly leads to solid middle-class wages. It's whether Jackson offers the best path compared to other Tennessee tech colleges where graduates appear to command higher starting salaries. The modest debt keeps downside risk low, but if other TCAT campuses are placing graduates into better-paying positions, that's worth investigating before committing.