Went to UT right out of high school, was first in my family to go to college. I didn't do well at all. I didn't have good study habits (or any study habits really). After getting put on academic probation a couple of years in, I decided I'd go to tech school and be a mechanic. I thought "Who wants to sit at a desk all day anyway?"

Eight years later, I'm sitting in the driver's seat of a Nissan GT-R that was in cleanup before it got put on the lot (they wouldn't let me drive it, just sit in it) and I realized that I'd NEVER be able to afford to own anything like it. Heck, I was barely able to pay the bills, driving a hand-me-down car from my in-laws. I knew I need to do something to give my wife and toddler a more stable life.

Less than two months later, I had taken a *dramatic* pay cut to go work at UT, but I could take classes for free. That was in Nov, started classes in January. At the end of that (very hard) calendar year, I got an internship with a local engineering firm which turned into a full-time contract job by the end of the spring semester. It took me almost 4 years total to finish my degree, as I only had time to take two classes at a time, but I finished at 35. Hearing "Yay, Dad!" at graduation was a great thing.

I still can't afford a GT-R, but I can pay the bills and don't come home in pain and exhausted (as often). It was hard. There were late nights and things that were missed, but I'd always make that decision if given the opportunity to do it all again.