I suppose the easy answer for this one would be to say that the best purchase I’ve ever made was my college education. Which, let’s face it, led to my career and gives me the life that I have today. So maybe that was the best purchase I ever made.
Far beyond the degree, the credits, and even the coursework, I grew so much as a person as a result of my college experience. I lived, worked, and went to classes with people far more diverse than anything I had ever experienced growing up in my hometown. It was my first time being truly alone, taking care of myself, and paying bills. I quite literally would not be the person I am today without it—it set me up for my career path, brought X1 into my life during orientation nearly 30 years ago, and became the crucible where I formally started to shape my social and political views.
That expansion wasn’t just academic; it was a profound culture shock. For me, one of the darker and more sobering realities was realizing how many young women had been victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. It shattered the illusion that life was just a continuation of the nice, relatively middle-class, overwhelmingly white suburban experience I grew up in, introducing me to the gritty, unvarnished aspects of the real world.
Along the way, there were mentors who shaped how I saw my future. I had several good instructors, but one history professor in particular sticks out. He was an expert on World War II Germany who had written books on the subject, but I had him for a special topics course entirely dedicated to World War I. He struck me because he had a great personality and was obviously fiercely intelligent, yet he wasn’t some crusty, stuffy academic—though you knew he could be if he wanted to. He had a gift for breaking things down so people could connect with them. I knew right then that I wanted to be like that, at least with English literature.
I’ve said several times before that college was the one time in my life when I had more freedom and fewer responsibilities than I ever had at any other time. In a lot of ways, it’s the ultimate launchpad for youth as they step into adulthood.
Now, looking at it from where I am today as a high school teacher, I see my students standing on that exact precipice, and I envy them for the readiness to take those first steps. That feeling hit home in a major way last summer when I went with Kid 1 to his out-of-state student orientation at the University of Wisconsin. Standing there, everything went full circle. As Jor-El says in Superman Returns, “The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son.”
Was a college education the best financial investment ever for me? Yes and no. I say yes because it did set me up for the rest of my life. I say no because it was an enormous financial burden—one I’m still dealing with to this day.
Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Having crossed the 1,000-day milestone, I’m now charting the territory beyond. The mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.
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The article “Priceless: Why College Was My Best Purchase (Even If I’m Still Paying For It)” first appear on Rebuilding Rob
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