Yep. Similar, not exactly the same but dad went to a technical school and entered into a trade of sorts, and mum dropped out due to moving a lot and education being different (like she’d learn things she already knew but then didn’t learn stuff that the other kids knew). And education was really important to them, especially because I struggled a lot. I got diagnosed with auditory processing disorder at like 10 but lived with undiagnosed ADHD until like two years ago or so.

But I went to public school for all of my years. Ended up having to go to Tafe for a few years until I was a mature student (didn’t get the atar I needed) and got into uni with the degree I wanted. And now I’m the first person in my family to have a uni degree. And while it’s great that I could still go and not worry about paying everything up front, it’s still going to worry me for when or if I have to eventually pay off that debt.

Especially since I want to get a master’s in my field of learning (and eventual PhD but that’s because hardly anywhere recognises Mx as a title). But yeah it’s tough.