Hesperis: When I got laid off in '92 and applied for unemployment payments, one of the things I was told to do was to choose a retraining program to which I was entitled under the law. I met with a county employee to go over their programs and my preferences, and she informed me of a new (at that time) option for which the government grants were still in the process of being approved. It was a 16-week course, a far better option than any other on the table, so I chose it and bit the bullet economically until the grants went through and the course began 3 months later. It was well worth the wait (especially since the firm at which the training was held hired me as a part-time instructor the day the course ended!).

I'm not sure if that 16-week training program was ever held again after that year; when I left, the organization that initiated the program (the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition) wasn't sure they'd get another grant. But the reason I tell this anecdote is to advise you to explore your education/training options assertively; don't assume that training programs remain the same over time. Make sure you're aware of those one-time-only, to-be-cancelled-next-year opportunities for free or inexpensive education, so you can take advantage of them while they're around.