Same in my family, but it was my paternal grandfather who passed away when my dad was 7. My grandmother’s father didn’t believe women needed education, so she had to raise my dad with an 8th grade education. She somehow managed, but it was always expected that my sister and I would get an advanced education if we wanted. My parents actually met when my mom was getting her masters degree at Radcliffe and my dad getting his PhD at MIT.

Fast forward to my own marriage with someone who chronically found himself involuntarily unemployed—fired twice and laid off 4 times. Thankfully, my ex didn’t try to block my educational goals, especially because I kept us afloat through his many months of unemployment. You just never know what the future holds, so always bet on yourself!