Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Western Technical College

Western Technical College's automotive program leaves you with minimal debt—just $5,500 compared to the national median of $11,000—but the earnings picture within Wisconsin is concerning. While starting pay of $36,011 sits near the national median, it falls below the state median of $37,216, placing this program in the 40th percentile among Wisconsin's 16 automotive programs. Several in-state alternatives deliver significantly stronger outcomes: Fox Valley Technical College graduates earn nearly $10,000 more per year, and even nearby Chippewa Valley and Southwest Wisconsin tech colleges show notably higher starting salaries.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.15 is excellent—you'd pay back less than two months of earnings. That said, the 19% earnings growth to $42,764 by year four still leaves graduates trailing what they could have earned from day one at other Wisconsin schools. If your student is committed to staying in La Crosse, the low debt burden makes this manageable. But if location is flexible, the data clearly shows other Wisconsin technical colleges offer better earning potential for the same credential. With a sample size under 30 graduates, these figures might shift, but the pattern across multiple higher-earning programs in the state suggests this isn't just statistical noise.