I studied at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, and I didn't have to pay for my degree either, because I was working as a custodian/porter ("conserje" or "bedel", if you read Spanish) at Politecnica University also in Madrid. Even though it was a different University, all fees were waived if you worked in the higher education sector. I studied in the late 80s to early 90s, so I don't know if this is still the case.
Mine was a common enough case. In the school where I worked, two more of the conserjes were studying engineering degrees. In the school where I studied (I have a degree in English), at least one of the conserjes was studying a tertiary degree, I don't remember which.
In these circumstances, what I wondered is why didn't more of my younger colleagues pursue further study. You have a salary, a job that leaves you quite a lot of free time to study, and reasonable hours (morning and afternoon/evening shifts) that allow you to attend classes during your non-working shift. And, some years later, you could also have a degree and a modicum of learning (or, in some cases, a lot of learning and no degree: your mileage may vary).
Great for Gac! Me and my fellow worker/students did it at a younger age, in our country of birth, surrounded by a family support network, and with a much cushier jobs (a conserje doesn't have cleaning duties, for instance). Gac sends part of his salary back to his family in the Old Country, while I could use mine to travel around Europe and buy books. In fact, I nowadays I call that job my "scholarship". I didn't have to man the counter of a 7/11 or stock supermarket shelves to pay for my studies, and I graduated with some savings. I didn't always feel privileged, but I was in many ways.
In the article, Gac Filipaj quotes Seneca, the Stoic philosopher. Read his statements again after reading a bit about stoicism[1], and they gain new meaning.
Mine was a common enough case. In the school where I worked, two more of the conserjes were studying engineering degrees. In the school where I studied (I have a degree in English), at least one of the conserjes was studying a tertiary degree, I don't remember which.
In these circumstances, what I wondered is why didn't more of my younger colleagues pursue further study. You have a salary, a job that leaves you quite a lot of free time to study, and reasonable hours (morning and afternoon/evening shifts) that allow you to attend classes during your non-working shift. And, some years later, you could also have a degree and a modicum of learning (or, in some cases, a lot of learning and no degree: your mileage may vary).
Great for Gac! Me and my fellow worker/students did it at a younger age, in our country of birth, surrounded by a family support network, and with a much cushier jobs (a conserje doesn't have cleaning duties, for instance). Gac sends part of his salary back to his family in the Old Country, while I could use mine to travel around Europe and buy books. In fact, I nowadays I call that job my "scholarship". I didn't have to man the counter of a 7/11 or stock supermarket shelves to pay for my studies, and I graduated with some savings. I didn't always feel privileged, but I was in many ways.
In the article, Gac Filipaj quotes Seneca, the Stoic philosopher. Read his statements again after reading a bit about stoicism[1], and they gain new meaning.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism