How should I go about making a difficult and expensive decision?

May 7, 2022 9:41 PM

So basically the decision is about taking a French test and obtaining a particular score. However, doing this involves spending up to $2000+. I have $40000 in savings in my bank account, so spending that won't leave me out on the street. Nonetheless this is an expensive gamble and it is one that I'm not completely sure of.

To put things into perspective, I've been learning French over the past two years. I've taken this test before and reached a lower B2 level. I need upper B2 to take full advantage of the benefits of said test. I'm close but I still need more.

It can cost upwards of $2000 because I may need to hire a tutor. Perhaps there are better options, but I have to look into those.

Normally, I would have spent that money without question but the thing is that I'm not sure about this.

On the one hand, if I take that gamble and win it's a huge win. I'm not kidding around, getting the right grade on that test will open up many avenues.

On the other hand, I've other commitments that require my attention. I'm not sure how comfortable I feel with spending that amount of money, especially because the test can always go wrong. However, that's always possible and it's just something I will have to live with regardless.

Anyway, I was wondering if someone could give me some advice on this.

posted by Tarsonis10 to Work & Money (15 answers total)

what's the win if you pass?
if you don't pass, can you take it again?
are you going to take it at some point and the question is just whether you're ready?
are you in a tax jurisdiction where spending that amount on your professional development is something you can write off in part?
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:53 PM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you fail, will you try again? If so, then you should do it. If not, then do not do it.

It sounds like this is one of those things you need to clear out of your way, but also may double as a convenient excuse as to why you can’t do certain things. Either way, I say commit to doing it, and stick with it even if you fail the first go. Move it out of your way.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 9:59 PM on May 7, 2022 [7 favorites]

If you have $40k CAD and no income you're burning money to stay alive and you need to weigh tutoring against other uses of that money, like food and rent and the length of your runway before you have to change your plans. If you have $40k CAD and you're saving, say, $500 more each month after paying your bills, then it's just "is this what I want to do with four months' potential savings?"
posted by Alterscape at 10:01 PM on May 7, 2022

Best answer: Money is just money. Opportunities are precious.

French is fresh in your mind right now but that will change over time. If you’re going to take this particular path, it’s likely that this is the moment. So unless you’re willing to completely drop your ambition and walk away, now is when you need to make this happen.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:02 PM on May 7, 2022 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: 1. Yes, I can take it again, yes if it goes south I'll do it again as many times as is necessary and yes the big win is that it opens up all sorts of opportunities in Canada, especially in Quebec. It can potentially double or triple my salary.
2. I have income, and I don't have CAD, my money is in USD and my income comes in USD.
3. Yes my french is recent, there are other options that won't cost me $2000+, these are the language institutes that charge this, looking for independent tutors might be a better idea.
posted by Tarsonis10 at 10:14 PM on May 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

How do you best learn? Find an independent tutor who caters to that tendency on you. Pay them, pass the test. 4. ... profit! The upside is worth the expense. Also, with time, if you continue to use French it will only improve - it's like interest on savings.
posted by From Bklyn at 2:56 AM on May 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

How do the exam scores of students who complete the course compare to those of people who prepare in other ways?

I credit attending courses that prepared me for professional exams with my excellent record passing said exams, especially compared to people who prepared with self study guides only. The difference was that in addition to learning the material we were also taught exam technique, I.e. how to do well in the specific exam. In addition to that it was a specific timeslot dedicated to exam preparation which helped carve out time whilst working full time. In my mind these things are worth paying for if you can.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:04 AM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

I would try making a Best of Both Worlds list!

The purpose of this is to imagine the best possible scenario for each option (spending the money vs. staying the current course), focusing only on the positives of each path. Then review the two options, and decide from a place of potential positive outcomes which you like better.

The reason for doing it this way is because you want to make decisions — especially important decisions — from the best frame of mind possible. Making a decision from a place of doubt or worry is not going to serve you well. The 'cons' or obstacles/drawbacks are usually only temporary anyway, and they can always be strategized around!

Here's a few questions to ask yourself as you make your lists:
• What would my life look like if I chose this path and everything went exceedingly well?
• What sort of impact could I make if I chose this? Who would benefit, and how?
• What sort of possibilities could this open up for me? (Financial, emotional, professional, etc.)
• What could this lead to? And what next?

And here's some questions to ask yourself when reviewing your lists:
• How does each list make me feel?
• Which feelings do I like the best?
• Which option gets me closest to who I want to be?
• What do I know now that I didn’t before doing this exercise?
posted by iamkimiam at 5:50 AM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Oh yes, definitely worth it. Just speaking financially, it’s worth it. Once you pass, you’ll earn back that $2K in maybe a month at your new job. That’s a fantastic return on investment.

I spent much more than that (years, and about $15K) getting a professional credential that doubled my salary, and I’ve already earned that back at my new job. I am very proud and happy to have the credential, and it would have been cheap at twice the price. No regrets. The real cost was the blood, sweat, and tears that went into earning it anyway.

The only thing is, you have to commit to getting this credential. Take the test until you pass. It sounds like you’re very close, so “don’t give up five minutes before the miracle.” I say that not because it would be a waste of money but because a real commitment will get you through the days when you don’t want to study or when the finish line just feels very far away.
posted by rue72 at 6:02 AM on May 8, 2022 [7 favorites]

Always bet on yourself. Invest money in bettering yourself, levelling-up your public-facing qualifications, your important tools of the trade, looking right for the social contexts you move in, and paying people to provide the help you need (academic, domestic, whatever), in order to clear up the mental space and time you require in order to succeed. Nobody else is coming along who will bet on you- that's your job and only yours. Pretend you're a fancy house and do all the things that will increase your own value!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:21 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

It can potentially double or triple my salary.

All that for a mere $2000?!!! I'm about to go back to school at ten times that cost for the same goal. I'm jelly. :) Do it!
posted by stray at 9:30 AM on May 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

Another person saying “yes, if this is a professional credential that will be a long term benefit” and you’re committed to cleaning this hurdle.

I took a less-expensive-but-not-cheap test a few years ago and, even as someone who thinks that gatekeeping professional respect is absolutely bullshit, I must acknowledge that:
* it really does help with the people who need a reason to respect you
* it serves as a handy way to identify people who do gatekeep professional respect, which I find useful

and, of course, I can more readily access professional opportunities that were not available before, and get paid more, and that is a significant benefit too!
posted by Kpele at 11:59 AM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

You should do it – knowing Canada, these things are a big deal. You get preferred for many jobs by having these sorts of things, so it's a leg up in a lot of careers. Knowing French also opens up all kinds of otherwise unavailable jobs.

Think of it like a lottery ticket/investment – I'm just going to pick a random small number – $5,000 a year income. There's no doubt you'd get more than that, on top of simply career opportunities that you would not otherwise have and advancing your skills in your field in those positions. So, would you buy a $2,000 lottery ticket, where you have what sounds like a good chance to win like $100,000 (20 years)? Of course! And that's a major underestimate! That's a great lottery/investment. Treat it like it's an investment in any other thing. It sounds like it doesn't threaten your lifestyle or financial security.

Also, though not knowing the rules of the test, it sounds like you can take it as many times as you want? If you truly don't want to spend the money, you could just take it. I think you should invest in the tutor or whatever is the most reputable way though to maximize the value of your time.

Trying to immerse yourself more in reading and watching French might also help and be a more fun way of commiting a bit more of your time. If you have the time, finding ways to speak French more will also help and be long-term worthwhile depending on what you want to do and what is required in those positions.
posted by lookoutbelow at 1:36 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Yes, do it, but make sure you have both a tutor to teach you French and a tutor to teach you how to take the test. Those are different skills.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 1:36 PM on May 8, 2022 [4 favorites]

Some other angles for thinking about it (not sure if helpful, my failure mode tends to be analysis paralysis):

If you invest time and money into preparing for the test and sitting it, and the outcome of the test score is not what you are aiming for, how much time does that set you back? (in terms of how long it takes you to re-accumulate the savings plus how much time you invested in preparing).

What's the cost of delay? How much do you lose if you don't start preparing to sit the test right now but instead defer it one month? or three months? or one year? Will your french improve anyway if you wait and focus on competing priorities, putting you in a better position to pass the test if you sit the test later? Or will getting a good score immediately open up many low-risk options to double your salary, which you would immediately pursue, so each month of delay is effectively another month of "missed" high income?

re: "potentially double or triple my salary", superficially that makes it sound as if focusing on passing the test with a good score is a sound financial decision with a great return on investment, provided you have or can save enough resources to afford the money to retry preparing for and sitting the test a few times in the event you don't score high immediately.

but the word "potentially" is perhaps doing a lot of heavy lifting there -- in an extreme case maybe you have 0% chance of getting a job that doubles your salary without the upper B2 french certification, and a 100% chance of getting a job if you merely submit a job application after obtaining the certification. On another hand, if there are other requirements for these prized jobs, and the jobs are in high demand with many strong applicants applying, maybe the true difference in odds that an upper B2 french certification offers could be closer to 0.25% chance of getting the job if you apply without the certification versus 0.35% chance of getting the job if you apply with the certification.
posted by are-coral-made at 1:49 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]