Hey Reddit!
As the title says I've recently been notified that I will be laid off, and I've been fortunate enough to have a good amount of savings along with a severance at the end of my contract with my current employer.
I'm looking to get a certificate in cyber security or Infosec, since I want a trade so to speak, that will allow me to have more steady employment and diversify my skills (I currently am a career ops manager) and the cost looks to be about $13k. I know this is a tough industry to break into, but I'm determined to learn more about it and get a job in the industry given the forecasted growth and current job opportunities there.
Currently I have about $24k saved up (8-10months emergency), and typical take home is $4k/mo and I save about 1200/mo with my salary with two more months of employment left and I will receive another $16k plus unemployment at the time of separation and out placement assistance so I'll ( hopefully) have very little time without income flowing in, even though I'm quite aware of the challenges that the current job market presents and am prepared for a tough road ahead, and the worst case scenario.
Retirement is nearly on track, and I also want to start investing more eventually, but this is also the most money I've ever had to my name and I'm scared shitless to spend a dime so I'm not sure whether I should just shell out the money for the certification or get a loan (I currently have 0% interest options) so I can preserve my liquid cash in case I don't find a new job soon enough.
I'm leaning towards taking the loan and I'm open to risks but I'm just not sure how to proceed given the uncertainty of everything right now.
Submitted September 28, 2020 at 08:16PM by 0melettethatslide https://ift.tt/30iAewO
