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Evaluate major choices with one tool: going back to school, moving for a job, starting a business, or switching careers.
Total Cost
$200,000
Break-Even Year
Year 10
20y NPV
$277,318.38
ROI Ratio
476%
MBA costing $200,000 (tuition + 2 years lost income) with salary lift to $100K breaks even in year 10. NPV over 20 years: $277,318.38.
Source: FinCalc server-rendered example using the same formulas as the interactive calculator.
A program costing $120,000 with total decision cost of $374,825 and a year-1 salary lift of $40,000 breaks even in about 13 years. Over 20 years, projected cumulative difference is $1,232,566.25 (NPV $211,803).
Total decision cost
$374,825
Break-even year
13
20-year ROI
329.0%
NPV
$211,803
FinCalc AI
FinCalc AI
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Data and assumptions align with official publications. For verification and current figures:
It depends on total education cost, lost income during study, expected salary uplift, and growth on both career paths. A practical decision frame is break-even year plus long-term NPV instead of salary increase alone.
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