My SO went through a similar setup as the one described by the grandparent. Hers was ~15k, maybe up to ~17k by the end of the day, considering food and whatnot. I can't speak for her, but from my perception, the investment seems to have paid off: she's now working at a much lower stress level than before (her previous job was in high stress environment) and her salary and benefits (vacation time, perks like company-provided food and activities, etc.) have improved substantially. The job is also much more intellectually stimulating than her previous job. Given a couple years of experience, which anyone needs when changing a career, she could be making almost double than the cap at her previous job. All in all, she is way happier now than before.