How it works
Each path is followed month by month. Until full earning starts, the path pays only what you enter for that period, such as a stipend. Once it starts, take-home pay rises by the yearly rise you set, once every twelve months from the first month of earning. Path costs are subtracted every month, and the upfront cost at the start.
running total = previous total × (1 + monthly return) + take-home that month − costs that month
The monthly return is the monthly equivalent of the annual real return, (1 + r)1/12 − 1. At zero, the running total is a plain sum. Living costs that both paths share are left out on purpose: they do not change the difference.
The crossover is the first year-end after which the path that ends ahead stays ahead.
What this cannot tell you
- It compares money only. The work, the training, where you live and who you become are not in the numbers.
- It ignores tax and assumes the pay and rises you enter. Real careers rarely follow a straight line.
- A result years away is sensitive to small changes: try a few versions of each path.
Every result comes from the formulas above, run in your browser. There is no AI and no server involved, and the same inputs always give the same answer. Figures are educational estimates, not individualised financial advice.