WhatGradsMake
Certificate (under 1 year)+15% vs national median646 grads tracked

Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College

Ranked 15th of 97 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$36,645
middle 50%: $24,628 – $56,786
Median · 5 years out
$40,820
middle 50%: $28,002 – $58,956
Median · 10 years out
$41,695
middle 50%: $27,891 – $61,682

Salary trajectory

Median earnings vs the national median for Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services (certificate (under 1 year)) graduates.

This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates

City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College offers certificate programs in Culinary and Personal Services with a $37k first-year median. Earnings stay steady around $42k after ten years.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.

Will the degree pay for itself?

Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.

Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).

Paid off in
10.4 yrs
≈ $11,643 total interest

Same major at other universities

Hennepin Technical College
$42,505 · 5 yrs out
College Of DuPage
$42,446 · 5 yrs out
Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College
$41,744 · 5 yrs out
College of Lake County
$41,469 · 5 yrs out
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana - Region 2
$40,922 · 5 yrs out
William Rainey Harper College
$40,883 · 5 yrs out
Bunker Hill Community College
$40,883 · 5 yrs out
Saint Philip's College
$40,559 · 5 yrs out
Bristol Community College
$40,189 · 5 yrs out
Collin County Community College District
$40,159 · 5 yrs out
Lincoln Land Community College
$39,655 · 5 yrs out
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
$39,127 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Certificate)
$104,211 · 5 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Certificate)
$104,211 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Associate)
$77,901 · 5 yrs out
Accounting and Related Services (Certificate)
$54,286 · 5 yrs out
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies (Associate)
$51,537 · 5 yrs out
Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate)
$51,537 · 5 yrs out
Transportation and Materials Moving (Certificate)
$50,800 · 5 yrs out
Ground Transportation (Certificate)
$50,800 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Certificate)
$50,050 · 5 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate)
$48,258 · 5 yrs out
Accounting and Related Services (Associate)
$47,315 · 5 yrs out
Information Science/Studies (Certificate)
$47,046 · 5 yrs out

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