Otero College

La Junta, CO · Public · 642 students · Visit Website

Otero College provides hands-on training for in-demand careers, particularly in nursing, with programs for CNAs, LPNs, and RNs that combine classroom instruction with clinical experience. They also offer various construction trades, welding, cosmetology, and law enforcement training, with some programs eligible for zero-cost tuition through the Career Advance Colorado program. Additionally, the college partners with online platforms to provide flexible, self-paced career training and certification opportunities in fields like HVAC/R, electrical technology, and medical billing.

Programs Analyzed

3

Avg Grad Earnings

$66,338/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

86/100

Tuition (In-State)

$4,418/yr
Out-of-state: $7,048/yr

All Programs at Otero College

3 trade programs at Otero College, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size). Use the “compare” links to see how this school’s programs stack up against others nationally.

Program Score Earnings Debt 10yr ROI AI Risk Job Market
Practical Nursing
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants
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88 $74,405/yr 167.4x Low Very Large
258 openings/yr
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
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85 $74,179/yr $17,592 86.8x High Very Large
292 openings/yr
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice and Corrections
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85 $50,431/yr 109.6x Moderate Very Large
480 openings/yr

Reading the table: Score combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size on a 0–100 scale. Earnings = median first-year salary from College Scorecard. Debt = median federal debt at graduation (blank where Scorecard suppresses small samples). 10yr ROI = projected 10-year earnings ÷ in-state tuition. AI Risk reflects task-level AI exposure across mapped occupations. Job Market = annual openings nationwide for connected occupations.

More Trade Schools in Colorado

Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in Colorado, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.

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Apprenticeship Pathways in Colorado

Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in Colorado. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.

Browse all apprenticeship trades →

Trade Schools Near La Junta

Other cities in Colorado with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from La Junta.

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 3 trade and vocational programs at Otero College using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).

The TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100) combines graduate earnings, return on investment, AI resilience, and job market size. AI Risk reflects task-level exposure for the occupations each program feeds into. Job Market shows the size of the national hiring pool. Programs without published debt figures had small reporting samples that the College Scorecard suppresses for privacy.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2026.