ROI Major

Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies at Onondaga Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.03

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies degree from Onondaga Community College earn a median salary of $70,135 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $53,133. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.3 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

$52,950

Typical Career

$70,135

Top Performers

$103,123

Estimated break-even: 6.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$468

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,845. Most students can comfortably afford about a $468 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 New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 21.5%
Retail Trade 10.7%
Educational Services 9.3%

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

$53,133

Nominal: $70,135 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% lower 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).

6.3 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 $35,321 $51,092 $72,928
5 Years After Graduation $52,950 $70,135 $103,123
10 Years After Graduation $59,848 $81,881 $103,837

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 $70,135 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $70,135 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $53,133 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies program at Onondaga Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $51,092, which increases to $70,135 after five years and reaches $81,881 after ten years. When considering purchasing power, the median earnings adjusted for national equivalents after five years is approximately $53,132.58, indicating that while the cost of living in New York is higher (COL index of 1.32), the salary growth remains substantial.

In terms of industry placement, a significant portion of graduates find employment in Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 28.9% of job placements, followed by Public Administration at 21.5%. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 6.3 years, suggesting a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this degree. Overall, the combination of strong salary growth and diverse industry opportunities presents a favorable outlook for students considering this career path.

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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.