[A_perfect_lady]

I have to say, 30 years ago when my parents flatly refused to pay for me to go to a 4 year university, I was very resentful. They said I could live at home rent-free and they'd pay for classes at the local community college, but that was it. Oh, how angry I was.

Now I realize what a wise decision it was on their part. They didn't really do it out of any conscious decision to help me build character, they did it because they wanted to pay off their house and buy his and hers Harleys, but the end result was the same. I left home, joined the military, and became self-sufficient.

[OldPossum]

I didn’t even have the prospect of my parents paying for my college (they were too poor for it to be even a consideration), so I went into the Army upon high school graduation, saved enough money to pay for the first year, then, using a combination of part-time work and a small amount of loans ($650 per semester!! This was the early ‘60s), I made it through.

Sometimes, one is just incredibly lucky. I made a poor choice of parents but everything else fell into place.

[minnesota_bound]

Does anyone really need 4 years of college to learn anything?
A doctor, an engineer would and more but any other profession?