Certificate (under 1 year)+22% vs national median313 grads tracked
Computer Programming at Southwestern Illinois College
Ranked 2nd of 39 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Computer Programming by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$57,042
middle 50%: $37,002 – $88,770
Median · 5 years out
$80,595
middle 50%: $47,924 – $109,414
Median · 10 years out
$89,177
middle 50%: $59,476 – $122,253
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Computer Programming (certificate (under 1 year)) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Southwestern Illinois College offers certificate programs in Computer Programming with a median first-year salary of $57k. Five-year medians reach $81k.
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
5.2 yrs
≈ $5,797 total interest
Same major at other universities
Moraine Valley Community College
$80,863 · 5 yrs out
Portland Community College
$79,996 · 5 yrs out
North Hennepin Community College
$79,564 · 5 yrs out
Central Texas College District
$78,948 · 5 yrs out
Brookhaven College
$78,948 · 5 yrs out
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
$78,529 · 5 yrs out
North Lake College
$77,273 · 5 yrs out
Kirkwood Community College
$76,958 · 5 yrs out
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
$76,554 · 5 yrs out
Des Moines Area Community College
$72,928 · 5 yrs out
College Of DuPage
$72,299 · 5 yrs out
Metropolitan Community College
$71,212 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Southwestern Illinois College
Fire Protection (Associate)
$99,192 · 5 yrs out
Precision Production (Certificate)
$72,907 · 5 yrs out
Precision Metal Working (Certificate)
$72,907 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Certificate)
$72,441 · 5 yrs out
Carpenters (Certificate)
$70,557 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Associate)
$70,365 · 5 yrs out
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate)
$69,946 · 5 yrs out
Construction Trades (Certificate)
$68,650 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$68,526 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Certificate)
$67,570 · 5 yrs out
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Certificate)
$66,712 · 5 yrs out
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Certificate)
$66,338 · 5 yrs out
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