ROI Major

Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at Central Texas College District

TX · Associate's Degree · CIP 52.04

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Operations Support and Assistant Services degree from Central Texas College District earn a median salary of $39,919 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $43,343. The degree typically pays for itself in 27.3 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

$32,972

Typical Career

$39,919

Top Performers

$48,487

Estimated break-even: 27.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$266

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,327. Most students can comfortably afford about a $266 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 24.9%
Educational Services 15.9%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 9.7%

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

$43,343

Nominal: $39,919 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

27.3 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 $25,370 $31,317 $40,729
5 Years After Graduation $32,972 $39,919 $48,487
10 Years After Graduation $33,617 $47,119 $66,382

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 $39,919 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $39,919 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $43,343 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Operations Support and Assistant Services program at Central Texas College District can expect a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $27,637, rising to $34,421 five years post-graduation, and reaching $38,692 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $37,373.51 nationally, reflecting a competitive position in the job market, although the cost of living index in Texas is slightly lower than the national average.

The program primarily prepares graduates for careers in Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 60.7% of job placements, followed by additional roles in the same sector at 24.9%, and Educational Services at 15.9%. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path exceeds ten years, indicating that while there are opportunities in growing industries, the return on investment may take considerable time to materialize. This analysis suggests that prospective students should weigh their long-term career goals against the time required to recoup educational expenses.

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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.