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The difference, I think, is that the lawyers or doctors who go
to those $1000/day seminars are likely to be the ones who already
have lucrative practices, or good salaries from hospitals or
major law firms, and can afford the $5000. (They may also, especially
if they're in private practice, be able to take a tax deduction.)
Most people who would take a job-hunting seminar don't have
very well-paying jobs, so the money is far more of an issue.
It's not an ethical question so much as a practical one: if someone
is worried about paying this month's rent, where can they get
this information less expensively? The state courses are fine,
for the Californians, but I suspect someone could make a good
deal by putting the essence of this into a book or workbook and
selling it for 30 or 50 dollars. Maybe videotapes would also sell.
(A lot more people can find, or borrow, 50 dollars than 5000, and
if the techniques are good, they might also be worth promoting
to people looking for secretarial or accounting work, which is
unlikely to pay $50,000 a year.)
Vicki Rosenzweig
vr%acmcr -dot- uucp -at- murphy -dot- com
New York, NY