ROI Major

Mechanic and Repair Technologies, Other at Greenville Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.99

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Mechanic and Repair Technologies, Other degree from Greenville Technical College earn a median salary of $69,154 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $72,641. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.6 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$52,479

Typical Career

$69,154

Top Performers

$90,042

Estimated break-even: 6.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$461

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,763. Most students can comfortably afford about a $461 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Manufacturing, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 43.6%
Manufacturing 10.4%
Retail Trade 6.4%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$72,641

Nominal: $69,154 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

6.6 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $40,342 $50,858 $69,154
5 Years After Graduation $52,479 $69,154 $90,042
10 Years After Graduation $53,107 $72,095 $86,367

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $69,154 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $69,154 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $72,641 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Mechanic and Repair Technologies program at Greenville Technical College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $39,919, increasing to $56,659 five years post-graduation, and reaching $62,818 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $59,515.76, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living relative to national averages despite the cost of living index in South Carolina being slightly lower at 0.952.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 74.3% of graduates finding employment in this sector. This concentration suggests a strong demand for skilled technicians in these fields, which may offer job stability and growth opportunities. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately ten years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this program appears favorable, particularly given the rising earnings potential over time.

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See how the Mechanic and Repair Technologies, Other degree at Greenville Technical College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.