Neither of my parents had college degrees, but they worked their entire adult lives to ensure my brothers and I did. It was important to my parents, and it was part of their American Dream, and they achieved it without a single dime from the government.

My parents paid for one of my degrees, and I paid for the other. I paid for it while attending school at night and working a full-time job during the day — also without a single dime from the government. It was all accomplished on a salary starting at only $13,000 a year. I’m not complaining. That job and that degree was a portion of my American Dream too.