I don't think anyone was devaluing education. I was only using myself as an example of someone who did not go through the normal education = success path in life. I have always been extremely motivated to better my situation. When I was 4 I would go to the bars in my little home town and collect aluminum cans to recycle to make money. When I was 9 and in 3rd grade I had a paper rout with 1,500 people. When I should have been in 4th, 5th and 6th grade I was working on a farm and driving anything with wheels and a motor. 7th and 8th grade had a paper rout again. 9th and 10th grade I started working 40 hour weeks. I was on honor role when I just went and got my GED so I didn't need to keep going to school. At 17 I joined the military (so I would be able to pay for college) graduating at the top of my class and every other course I took in the military. Formal education is a good standard to judge knolage and abilities by...however if you judge a fish by how well they climb a tree they will always be a failure.
I have a 16yo daughter (class of 2023) who is on track to graduate high-school with 60 college credits and start college at 17. She also has a jobe and is on the national honor society. She wants to be an Anesthesiologist and is motivated to accomplish this with as little school debt as possible. She had plans to have 5 to 6 years of her school paid by doing the first 60 credits in high-school and an additional 36 months with my G.I. bill. College is her path to success.
Okay stepping off my soapbox...probably going to go sell it for some extra cash or repurpose it.
