It sucks to pay money up front. But getting hired one month sooner, at the end of your career, is worth $20,000-30,000 in 2015 dollars.
If you get hired two 5 weeks sooner you're ahead of the game. Six months earlier pays for a college education. A year earlier pays for two college educations.
The uncertainty of investing in job fairs, ATP courses, etc, can be daunting, especially as the cost increases.