This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Amber Duncan, founder of Life After Debt. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I went to a private Christian school that had a clear message about higher education: You either went to college and got your degree, or you were a failure. It was so black and white.
I lived in a home with a lot of chaos, and I moved out the day I graduated from high school. A teacher helped me finish my college applications, and I got a scholarship to Liberty University. I moved from Florida to Virginia, where I started studying psychology.
The situation at my home continued to get worse as my parents went through a divorce. I felt I needed to be there for my younger brothers. I couldn’t, in good conscience, stay at college while knowing my brothers had a need at home. My parents were so preoccupied with their divorce. I made the best decision I could and dropped out of college.
I subconsciously worried about my lack of a degree
Back in Florida, I started working as a makeup artist, making good money. Then, at 21, I unexpectedly became pregnant with my oldest daughter, Sabel. It was a tough season, but I was focused on giving Sabel the best life I could, which meant hustling to make money. College wasn’t on my mind.
I became a mortgage broker, met my husband, and had four more kids. We built a property empire, but went bankrupt after the 2008 financial crash. Then, we came back stronger than ever, building a debt settlement company that’s worth more than $50 million today.
I didn’t often think about my lack of a degree. But subconsciously, when I walked into rooms with my co-founders, I worried that I was less worthy because I didn’t have this piece of paper. That’s what I’d been brainwashed to think.
My kid’s question made me decide to get my degree
Soon, Sabel was a teenager starting to consider college herself. One day in the car, one of the kids said, “Why do we need college? You didn’t graduate, and you’re fine.”
My life has proven that I didn’t need a degree to be successful. Yet, I wanted my kids to experience college, which is so much more than a degree. Some of my best friends are still from my time at Liberty University. My kids have the financial means to go to college, and I thought it would be silly for them not to.
More importantly, I wanted my children to know that they should finish what they started. I decided to complete my degree.
I went on a cruise to celebrate my graduation
I re-enrolled at Liberty University in 2019 at 44, opting for online classes and switching my major from psychology to business management. Sometimes, because of parenting or business obligations, I could only take one or two classes; other times, getting motivated for assignments was difficult because I knew I didn’t need this degree.
It took me a few years to finish, but in 2022, at the age of 47, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree. Because of COVID regulations, there was no graduation ceremony. Instead, I went on a cruise with my family to celebrate.
Today, two of my kids have gone to college. Another son tried college and decided it wasn’t for him, so he enrolled in trade school. My youngest two are still in high school, but I expect them to at least try college.
I’m proof that you don’t need a degree to be successful. But graduating fulfilled something in me emotionally and brought a sense of calm. I had finally finished what I started.
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