ROI Major

Engineering, General at Corning Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 14.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Engineering, General degree from Corning Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges earn a median salary of $77,146 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $58,444. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.1 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

$64,050

Typical Career

$77,146

Top Performers

$90,011

Estimated break-even: 7.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$514

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,429. Most students can comfortably afford about a $514 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x 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, Manufacturing, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 26.6%
Manufacturing 9.4%
Educational Services 9.4%

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

$58,444

Nominal: $77,146 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).

7.1 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 $18,132 $24,204 $32,149
5 Years After Graduation $64,050 $77,146 $90,011
10 Years After Graduation $86,717 $102,715 $119,554

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 $77,146 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)
= $77,146 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $58,444 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 Engineering, General program at Corning Community College shows significant growth over time. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $24,204, which increases to $77,146 five years post-graduation and reaches $102,715 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary equates to approximately $58,443.94 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, the long-term financial benefits are substantial, particularly when considering the cost of living in New York.

Graduates of this program primarily enter sectors such as Health Care & Social Assistance (26.6%), Manufacturing (19.1%), and Health Care & Social Assistance again (12.1%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 7.1 years, suggesting that the investment in education yields a favorable return over time. Overall, the data indicates a positive return on investment for students pursuing this engineering pathway, particularly when considering the long-term earning potential and the diverse industries available for employment.

Compare with Another School

See how the Engineering, General degree at Corning Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges 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.