No, I didn't say and I don't think you guys didn't build Tightline yourselves. OTOH, the VFP world is actually a great example of community and of helping each other to succeed. You and Andy have been big contributors, but I'm pretty sure you also benefited from the contributions of other people to the community, people like Lisa, Whil, Doug, Rick Strahl, Rick Schummer, Toni & Mike, etc. None of us could have done as much alone as we did as a group.

I can definitely agree with you about that.

Similarly, in broader society, none of us could have done as well as we did by forming governments, creating schools, building roads, etc., etc., etc. No one succeeds alone. They always build on what came before.

OK. It is true that no man is an island.

To answer your specific comment, no one gave you free money. Okay. Did you get government-guaranteed student loans?

Nope. Not a cent. I paid for my education with what I made tending bar.

I remembered your saying that the manager at the bar gave you a regular schedule, so you were able to take classes. It appears that, at least, once you were taking a course, the bar accommodated to your class schedule for that semester. I hear that a lot of food service workers today can't get that kind of regularity, and it's making it really hard for them to arrange childcare, let alone go to school.

Andy and I frequented a couple a bars where we used to go to play NTN trivia when we were living in Akron (We just moved to Hot Spring Village, Arkansas). We got friendly with the owners and managers of at least 2 different places. And we talked to the bartender about what they were doing - a lot of them were working their way through school and the owners/managers accommodated their class schedules. So my experience has been very different from yours. Most of the bar owners and managers that I have met want their employees to be happy and do not want to stand in the way of their success.