How long can you go without earning?

Not how long you'd like. How long you actually can. Everything else follows from this one number, and almost nobody says it out loud first.

• Weeks.Rent is due and there is no runway. You need a paycheque, not a plan.
• About a year.You can hold on through one program if it ends in work.
• Three years or more.Someone or something is covering you while you train.