Certificate (under 1 year)+15% vs national median377 grads tracked
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians at Houston Community College
Ranked 11th of 77 certificate (under 1 year) programs in Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$52,064
middle 50%: $37,337 – $67,174
Median · 5 years out
$68,717
middle 50%: $48,487 – $90,528
Median · 10 years out
$76,885
middle 50%: $55,778 – $115,969
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians (certificate (under 1 year)) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Drafting and Design Engineering technicians earn $52k in their first year. Median pay climbs to $77k after a decade.
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
5.9 yrs
≈ $6,610 total interest
Same major at other universities
Hennepin Technical College
$74,472 · 5 yrs out
Blue Ridge Community College
$73,728 · 5 yrs out
Naugatuck Valley Community College
$72,585 · 5 yrs out
San Jacinto Community College District
$72,514 · 5 yrs out
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
$71,605 · 5 yrs out
Alvin Community College
$69,384 · 5 yrs out
College of the Mainland
$67,887 · 5 yrs out
Tyler Junior College
$66,438 · 5 yrs out
Northern Essex Community College
$65,986 · 5 yrs out
Oakton College
$65,634 · 5 yrs out
Century College
$65,410 · 5 yrs out
Midland College
$63,769 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Houston Community College
Fire Protection (Associate)
$124,854 · 5 yrs out
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (Associate)
$99,334 · 5 yrs out
Physical Science Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$97,476 · 5 yrs out
Science Technologies/Technicians (Associate)
$94,228 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$93,807 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Associate)
$87,244 · 5 yrs out
Engineering Science (Associate)
$87,244 · 5 yrs out
Physical Science Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$85,242 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$84,025 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Certificate)
$82,991 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Certificate)
$82,328 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Associate)
$80,200 · 5 yrs out
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