Ask HN: How to use $5k "self improvement" stipend?
My employer provides a five thousand dollar self improvement stipend that we are able to spend on anything that will improve our wellbeing or make us better. What classes, courses, programs would you take to utilize such a benefit? If you don't know how to spend it, spend it on expensive office items that can easily be sold on secondary markets - ideally those that don't need ebay etc. Last year I bought three Herman Miller Aeron chairs and just slowly sold them off on Craigslist for a discount. Find a conference for your expertise and interests. You'll need to juggle attendance, travel, and lodging costs, but $5K ought to cover something in the US if it's not in SF or NYC. I’d go on some kind of hippy meditation retreat because I think I want to know what that would be like. Send it to me and I'll shoot you a custom, inspiring daily text message for a year. No context to answer my friend. I would attend some in person training for certification if I were early career. I’d buy a maxed out MacBook Pro, get the reimbursement approved, then return it for a refund. Personal trainer. I just buy things to refund with my training budget.