I = Intelligence

“I not only use all the brains that I have, but all I can borrow.” ~ Woodrow Wilson

I don't have a college education.  I've taken a few classes here and there but, it's likely I won't ever go back to get a degree.  It's not that I'm lazy, or a procrastinator, it's just that by the time I'm done with a full day's work - my brains are beat!

When I was a senior in high school my mother made it clear that she wasn't paying anything toward my education.  I didn't make enough at my job working full time to pay for a car, car insurance, rent in her house AND school.  I simply couldn't pay for everything making barely over $6/hour.  I also was not eligible for financial aid as I lived in my mother's house and she made too much money. I got older, incurred a ton of debt, lost a job, got a new job, moved, paid off my debt, got married and you know the rest.  There just wasn't time for college.

Now, I'm older and I have a great job that will reimburse my tuition but, what about my family?  I have a small child and it's more important to me to enjoy him.

When I was younger, as soon as my chores were done, I'd have my nose buried in a book.  I read.  I read a lot.  A lot, A LOT!  I choose to read the news on-line.  I have the dictionary bookmarked.  I do research, I analyze, I compare.  I have always been a fast learner, I've always had a high level of comprehension.  I watch and I listen.  I've never been afraid to ask questions.  I've never been afraid to ask for help.  I've never been afraid to learn.  I've had to make many big decisions in my life - buying a car, buying a house, choosing a pediatrician for Jacob, and I've borrowed many a brain to educate me.  That said, lacking a degree does not mean I lack intelligence.  Not having a degree doesn't mean I need you to think for me.  It certainly doesn't mean I'm ignorant.

I wonder what is going to happen in this world when the time comes for any job to require a degree, yet the cost of an education continues to skyrocket.  I agree that an education is valuable - extremely valuable but, in some ways I wonder what happens to the imagination.  The small business.  The artist, the lawn mowing service, the construction worker.  We need these people, but, will they be there?

I am truly blessed.  I make an excellent wage, I do enjoy my work, I have more benefits than I could ever discuss! And I got here, I built the job and the respect I have all without a college education.  Could I make more money in my job?  Could I advance?  Sure I could.  At the cost of watching my son grow.

I can't say I wish my circumstances could/would  have been different.  It really doesn't matter to me.  What matters, is giving my son the chances I didn't have.  I don't need to borrow anyone else's brain to figure that out.  I have enough intelligence and common sense to see all on my own!