Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Western Technical College

The $27,571 first-year earnings from Western Technical College's nursing assistant program rank among the lowest in Wisconsin—trailing the state median by nearly $10,000 and sitting in just the 25th percentile statewide. That's a significant gap when competing programs like Herzing and Rasmussen consistently produce graduates earning $45,000-$47,000 right out of the gate. The relatively low $8,816 debt load offers some consolation, but even that's nearly $4,000 above what similar programs charge elsewhere in Wisconsin.

The 47% earnings jump to $40,388 by year four suggests graduates eventually find better positions, but that delayed trajectory matters for families calculating return on investment. Wisconsin has strong nursing employment, yet this program's graduates start substantially behind their in-state peers. When 20 other Wisconsin schools offer this credential, choosing one where initial earnings lag so dramatically requires serious justification—perhaps proximity to home or flexible scheduling that makes enrollment possible.

For families purely focused on employment outcomes, the numbers point toward other Wisconsin options. The debt remains manageable enough that this isn't a financial disaster, but parents should understand their graduate will likely spend those first years catching up to what peers from other programs earned immediately.