ROI Major

Engineering, General at Finger Lakes 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 Finger Lakes Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges earn a median salary of $76,015 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $57,587. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.7 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

$63,451

Typical Career

$76,015

Top Performers

$87,772

Estimated break-even: 6.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$507

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,335. Most students can comfortably afford about a $507 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, Retail Trade, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 23.8%
Retail Trade 11.9%
Educational Services 9.5%

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

$57,587

Nominal: $76,015 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).

6.7 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 $24,390 $36,444 $52,379
5 Years After Graduation $63,451 $76,015 $87,772
10 Years After Graduation $55,464 $89,177 $116,855

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 $76,015 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)
= $76,015 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $57,587 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Engineering, General program at Finger Lakes Community College experience a significant earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,444, which increases to $76,015 after five years and reaches $89,177 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $57,587.12, reflecting the impact of 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 top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 29.1% of employment, followed closely by another segment in the same field at 23.8%, and Retail Trade at 11.9%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 6.7 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment for those pursuing this educational path. Overall, the data indicates a solid potential for career advancement and financial growth in the engineering field.

Compare with Another School

See how the Engineering, General degree at Finger Lakes 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.