ROI Major

Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas at SOWELA Technical Community College

LA · Associate's Degree · CIP 13.13

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas degree from SOWELA Technical Community College earn a median salary of $68,164 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in LA, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $73,850. The degree typically pays for itself in 5.8 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

$60,166

Typical Career

$68,164

Top Performers

$79,079

Estimated break-even: 5.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$454

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,680. Most students can comfortably afford about a $454 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 Louisiana buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Manufacturing, Construction, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Manufacturing 33.8%
Construction 8.5%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 6.9%

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

$73,850

Nominal: $68,164 in Louisiana (COL 92.3% of national avg) · 8.3% 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).

5.8 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 $57,548 $61,859 $71,728
5 Years After Graduation $60,166 $68,164 $79,079
10 Years After Graduation $62,994 $73,614 $91,460

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 $68,164 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in LA, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.3% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $68,164 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9230) = $73,850 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Teacher Education, Specific Subject Areas program at SOWELA Technical Community College experience a positive earnings trajectory. One year after graduation, the median earnings stand at $61,859, which increases to $68,164 after five years and reaches $73,614 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years post-graduation are equivalent to $73,850.49 nationally, indicating that graduates maintain a competitive salary relative to national standards despite being in Louisiana, where the cost of living index is lower at 0.923 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Manufacturing, which accounts for 33.8% and 28.8% of job placements, followed by Health Care & Social Assistance at 17.1%. This distribution suggests a strong demand for educators in technical and vocational fields, particularly in sectors that are integral to Louisiana's economy. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 5.8 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Teacher Education is favorable, providing a solid foundation for career advancement in these industries.

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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.