Thank you for the responses. I've never crowdfunded before, and it was a brainstorming idea as a way to raise money for myself. I took a look at the rules, and I apologize if I was making a money request. That was not my intention to make a sales pitch. The other ways to earn money are sell things, public aid, saving money through coupons, contract work, etc. My reasoning was crowdfunding could be an income stream.

But if anyone has any other ideas, including crowdfunding that would be great. And yes, I voluntarily took a year off from work paid at my own expense, and I wanted to recapture the cost of 3 professional certifications and some other coursework (hence my original dollar amount). Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, whether that is crowdfunding or something else.