General Sales, Merchandising at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

A 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio might sound reasonable at first glance—debt equal to half your first-year salary typically represents manageable repayment. But there's an important caveat here: both the $41,009 earnings figure and $20,500 debt load are national estimates drawn from peer programs offering similar certificates, not actual outcomes from UW-Oshkosh graduates. That distinction matters because undergraduate certificates in sales vary wildly in their value depending on the institution's industry connections and the specific curriculum design.

What's concerning is that $41,009 in first-year earnings sits right at the national median for these programs, which means half of similar certificates produce lower returns. For a credential that typically requires less than a year to complete, you'd hope to see earnings meaningfully above that median—especially given that many retail and sales positions don't require formal credentials at all. The question becomes whether this certificate opens doors that experience alone wouldn't, or whether it simply formalizes skills your child could develop on the job while earning instead of borrowing.

Before committing to this program, insist on seeing UW-Oshkosh's actual placement data: where do certificate completers work, and what do they earn? If the school can't provide concrete outcomes from recent graduates, that's a significant red flag for a vocationally-focused credential where employment results should be the entire justification for enrollment.