Although I was in school when TG was hired, I only started watching WBB her last year at RU, by which point she was "tired" to be polite. Not all her fault, she wanted to move into athletics administration and admin was still a bit of a boys club. Never-the-less, I agree that she was very likable - a star center on the old Immaculata teams that are so famous, as you probably know. The last year we were in NJ they did a fund-raising fan club function honoring both her and CVS, and her speech was entertaining and very "fund raising" worthy (something she actually does professionally for Immaculata). My wife and I were at her WBB HOF induction, not specifically for her as Viv went in the same year, but we were there none-the-less. Our friends donated banners for both coaches for the RAC.
I couldn't afford - timewise or financially - an education addiction, but I have to admit that I regret that. Of course, my educational interests were not really in line with any career interests, more of a desire just to know. Part of the attraction of various trivia books, not because I really care about a lot of the facts, but because of what they often say about what folks believe and how they behave.
The first two degrees were partially covered by my GI benefits... the rest was paid for by working as a landscaper, painter, sculptor, dishwasher, cook, and boat captain. But the bulk of my education has been funded by the companies I chose to work for...
One early decision was to go the route of pay as you go rather than to use student loans. I may have been able to 'purchase' more education more quickly using student loans but I just didn't want the debt and figured that I had a lifetime to win the race.
When I'd choose a company to work for, one of the key criteria was subsidized education. B or better freebies... gotta love 'em. Sometimes it was company policy and other times I negotiated the benefit. The library of text books that I've accumulated over the years is another story... That cost me a kings ransom. Rather than just buying the book the course required(which was usually also paid for by my company), I bought several text/reference books that covered the material... Thankfully, they have served me and my projects well over the years.
Another part of this came with the choice my wife & I made with respect to our 'Date Nights.' She had a BA from Smith and BS from MIT and was as addicted as I before I met her... We set aside 2 - 3 nights a week to work on either a degree program or on onesie courses of interest. That left us several nights a week for the rest of the world's guilty pleasures... It precluded Doctorates but it also meant that we could live a fuller/richer life... We did this fall, spring, and summer semesters... and we loved it..
Finally, there was the environment we lived in... We lived in Newburyport Ma. most years and Cambridge/Watertown for a few years.... Our work was centered in the tech area defined by the Rt 128 to the north and the Charles river to the south. Harvard, MIT and several of the best schools in our nation were within our range. BTW, the Harvard night school is a tremendously valuable resource.
An unexpected benefit has been the folks I've been privileged to meet. My wife was involved early on with the MIT robotics lab and eventually I was drawn into its web as a mentor on language processing. It also was the catalyst for a friendship with one of my brother's pals... Dr. John Grotziner... He is currently project scientist for the Mars rover program... Interesting guy. Education brought me time with interesting experiences and people, so for me, whatever the costs, , it was worth it. Over a 35+ year period it all adds up nicely.
YOPB
Go Huskies!
