EVE Fiction

I'm not sure of an exact figure of the top of my head, and I'm trying to find a source for what I'm going to present next. But I can give you a context/perspective.

ISK doesn't directly translate to any real world currency. For example 30,000 ISK would not be equivalent to a non-capsuleers' yearly wage. As far as I can remember, a few hundred ISK a year is what a regular person would be expected to make. Then of course ISK is an international currency. So you wouldn't see Caldari citizens earning it because they would most likely be paid in corporate scrip.

So even a meagre 5000 ISK is lifetimes of income for ordinary people. And the ISK cost itself isn't even the biggest hurdle of becoming a capsuleer when you factor in training and natural ability.

Hopefully someone else has the ISK comparison source. :)

In Source a timeline is laid out as follows: Prerequisite testing (medical, IQ, and the requirement for a degree in a technical field) which doesn't seem to take too much time, "book-learning" phase (on capsuleer technology, running a ship and crew, maintenance, etc.) which lasts 1-2 years and ends with a six-hour oral exam, then physical training (implant installation, conditioning for space travel ["deprivation tanks, zero-G environments, and shock simulations"]) lasting two years, then two years of advanced command and technical training (one year flying simulations, one year capsule-fitted frigates), after this the final test is to voluntarily undergo euthanasia into a cloned body. So in total the training takes five to six years and requires a degree beforehand.

As to cost the Source only says "provided no grants or scholarships are in the picture, an enormous sum of money [is required]." We can assume that on top of the equivalent cost of a world class 5-6 year education there are also material costs (testing facilities, implants, ships) that add a substantial financial burden on top of what is required for traditional educational paths. Without a knowledge of income disparity in the Cluster it's hard to estimate how much the lifetime accrual of 10,000 ISK is actually worth and then to calculate what an advanced post-secondary education (really graduate or doctoral level education) would cost. However, knowing that capsuleer implants and small ships are required in the later stages of the process then we can assume that an absolute bottom cost for becoming a Capsuleer must be in the hundreds of thousands or millions of ISK. While out of reach of the majority of the population it is reasonable to assume that individuals that meet the physical and mental criteria will often have access to funding from national or corporate interests (considering the rarity of Capsule compatible individuals and their potential value).

Navies in particular definitely run capsuleer training programs - someone has to be flying all those capsuleer-unique hulls they produce. In fact, by this point "freelance" capsuleers like the players are probably the exception rather than the norm.

It's still dangerous and time intensive. 5 years of capsule program, and you need to have a degree to even get accepted (so looking at somewhere like 7-9 years of time required for both higher education and capsule program).

As for dangerous, only something like 12% of people make it through. Most don't die, though some do during the physical parts of the program.

Also, Source implies that you don't necessarily need the perfect genes for it. It says that mindlocking is something that can be countered with training. Having compatible genes just probably makes the whole thing easier, and someone with compatible genes would probably be more likely to get loans as there'd be a higher chance of them making it through the program to make a good return on those loans.

Those who don't make it through probably suffer from debt for the remainder of their lives, due to the expense of the program, unless they were rich enough at the start to not require taking out loans to pay for the program.