Career ROI calculator
Pick up to four careers to compare what the training costs, how long it takes and what the job pays. Training years and costs come from our guides; you can edit them for a specific program.
Median pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025; all-jobs median $50,980. Training time and cost from each career's how-to-become guide (tuition from College Scorecard, official exam and license fees), before financial aid. Pre-tax, in today's dollars; ignores interest, aid and pay growth. Methodology
Careers that repay their training fastest
Payback at the median, before tax
| Career | Training | Cost (midpoint) | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator Mechanic | 4-5 years | $198 | About 1 month |
| Lineman | 3-5 years to journeyman | $2,139 | About 1 month |
| Crane Operator | 1-4 years | $2,557 | About 2 months |
| Plumber | 4-5 years | $2,196 | About 2 months |
| Police Officer | 1-2 years | $4,680 | About 2 months |
| Air Traffic Controller | 4-7 years including a degree | $18,944 | About 2 months |
| MRI Technician | 3 years | $11,927 | About 3 months |
| Nurse Midwife | 7-8 years | $23,246 | About 3 months |
| Bus Driver | 1-3 months | $2,267 | About 3 months |
| Correctional Officer | 6 to 9 months | $2,268 | About 3 months |
| Network Engineer | About 9 years | $25,026 | About 4 months |
| Aircraft Mechanic | 1.5-2.5 years | $9,021 | About 4 months |
| Career | Training | Median pay | 20-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilot | 4-6 years | $232,140 | $3,398,799 |
| Anesthesiologist | 12-13 years | $391,490 | $2,576,025 |
| Radiologist | 13-14 years | $420,860 | $2,521,081 |
| CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist) | 8-10 years | $236,590 | $2,450,240 |
| Orthodontist | 10-11 years after high school | $289,140 | $2,421,761 |
| Computer Engineer | 4-6 years (bachelor's, often followed by a master's) | $161,740 | $2,380,884 |
| Dermatologist | 12-13 years | $328,730 | $2,252,867 |
| Software Engineer | 4 years | $135,980 | $2,134,445 |
| Pathologist | 12-13 years | $312,400 | $2,129,254 |
| Air Traffic Controller | 4-7 years including a degree | $148,080 | $2,128,216 |
| Cardiologist | 14-16 years | $496,010 | $2,125,353 |
| Psychiatrist | 12 years | $281,870 | $2,040,454 |
Short, inexpensive programs that lead to above-median pay repay fastest; long medical training repays slowly but leads the 20-year totals because the pay is so high. Neither table counts taxes, interest, living costs during training or pay earned during paid apprenticeships, which make many skilled trades better than they look here. Careers whose median is below the all-jobs median have no payback figure.
How to read the comparison
How is payback time calculated?
Training cost divided by how much more the career's median pays than the median for all US jobs ($50,980 in May 2025). It is a rough comparison: it ignores taxes, financial aid, loan interest and earnings while training.
What are the 20-year earnings?
Median annual pay times the years left in a 20-year window after the typical training time, minus the training cost. Pay is held at today's median, so it shows the order of magnitude, not a forecast.
Where do the training years and costs come from?
From each career’s how-to-become guide, which builds the time from the required programs, exams and licenses and the cost from College Scorecard tuition and official exam fees. You can change both in the table to match a specific program.