Originally Posted by BoilerUP

If I were a "new pilot", I wouldn't be worrying about type ratings and certainly wouldn't be thinking about buying one on my own nickel...ESPECIALLY in the current job market.

If you hold a CE525S rating, you can operate the airplane single pilot or two crew. If you hold a CE525 rating, you can only operate it crewed.

Both the CE560XL and CE650 type ratings cover a fairly limited number of airframes. The Excel will almost certainly be replaced by the Latitude and the CE650 has been out of production for many years. On the other hand the CJ2+/CJ3/CJ4 and the newly announced M2 will continue to be produced for many years and utilize the CE525 type rating.