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Healthcare

Psychiatric technicians

Typically requires Postsecondary nondegree award

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
MixedLow uncertainty
top 20% of all 730 careers

Analyst take: Decent prospects — +20% projected growth, low AI exposure (12/100).

54
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. Wide = well-defended — few automatable tasks, built on skills few other jobs have.

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Low uncertainty means the score leans mostly on measured data (growth, pay) rather than forward-looking bets, so it's comparatively solid.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +Strong projected growth — outpaces 99% of careers (+20%).
  • +Low AI exposure — resilient (12% of tasks exposed).
🐻 Bears say
  • Below-median pay ($42,590).
📜 Reality check — how the last forecast for this career fared

In 2014, the U.S. government projected +5.2% growth for this career by 2024. What actually happened: +112.8%. Reality beat the forecast — a reminder that every number on this page is an estimate, and this is how the last one aged. Full back-test →

Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
+20%
Median pay
$42,590
AI exposure
12/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 143 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$33,657
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$27,000
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
1.2×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Selective schools offering these majors
University of Pennsylvania
PA · 5% admit rate
$89,028/yr
$111,371 grad pay
Crown College
MN · 23% admit rate
$46,598/yr
$48,057 grad pay
Ohio Christian University
OH · 38% admit rate
$35,017/yr
$39,813 grad pay
Chicago State University
IL · 43% admit rate
$29,764/yr
$42,778 grad pay
Johnson C Smith University
NC · 45% admit rate
$34,923/yr
$42,680 grad pay
Rollins College
FL · 48% admit rate
$76,108/yr
$58,295 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

healthcaremedicinecarepeoplescience