ROI Major

Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at Horry - Georgetown Technical College

SC · Certificate Degree · CIP 52.07

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations degree from Horry - Georgetown Technical College earn a median salary of $35,940 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $37,752. The degree typically pays for itself in over 10 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

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

$25,504

Typical Career

$35,940

Top Performers

$52,920

Break-even is not clear from the available earnings data.

Debt-to-Income Check

$240

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,995. Most students can comfortably afford about a $240 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x 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, Retail Trade, Accommodation & Food Services.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 40.4%
Retail Trade 9.1%
Accommodation & Food Services 9.0%

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

$37,752

Nominal: $35,940 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).

>10 years (extrapolated) 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 $20,973 $26,948 $32,639
5 Years After Graduation $25,504 $35,940 $52,920
10 Years After Graduation $29,704 $37,841 $50,311

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 $35,940 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)
= $35,940 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $37,752 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for graduates of the Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations program at Horry - Georgetown Technical College shows a gradual increase over time. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $26,948, rising to $35,940 after five years, and reaching $37,841 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $37,752.1, indicating that graduates may experience a competitive financial outlook relative to their peers nationally, despite the lower cost of living index in South Carolina.

Graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with significant percentages reported at 60.3%, 40.4%, and 38.7% across various roles. This concentration suggests a strong alignment between the program and the growing demand in these industries. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, indicating a longer return on investment for graduates. Prospective students should weigh these factors carefully when considering their career paths.

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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.