ROI Major

Computer Engineering Technologies at Rockland Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 15.12

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Computer Engineering Technologies degree from Rockland Community College earn a median salary of $54,051 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $40,948. The degree typically pays for itself in 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

$37,075

Typical Career

$54,051

Top Performers

$74,791

Estimated break-even: 10 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$360

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,504. Most students can comfortably afford about a $360 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x 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 30.0%
Retail Trade 9.9%
Educational Services 9.6%

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

$40,948

Nominal: $54,051 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).

10 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 $27,237 $38,967 $51,223
5 Years After Graduation $37,075 $54,051 $74,791
10 Years After Graduation $44,398 $67,570 $99,192

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 $54,051 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)
= $54,051 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $40,948 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Computer Engineering Technologies program at Rockland Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $38,967, which increases to $54,051 five years post-graduation and reaches $67,570 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the cost-of-living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary five years after graduation is approximately $40,947.73, indicating that while earnings grow, the local economic conditions may impact overall purchasing power.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 30.0% of employment, followed by another 21.1% in the same field, and 12.5% in Professional, Scientific & Technical Services. With an estimated break-even point of around ten years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment (ROI) for pursuing this degree appears favorable. The combination of industry demand and potential earnings suggests that graduates can achieve a solid career foundation, particularly in growing sectors.

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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.