Back in 1980, my high school guidance counselor called me down to his office to discuss my future.

Based on some test scores, Mr. Dunbar wanted me to apply to James Madison or Penn State.

I told him that money was an issue and that the community college down the road seemed like a better option for me.

Mr. Dunbar said,

a two-year school was, quote,

beneath my potential and gave me some information on student loans.

That's Mike Row, writer, narrator, producer, actor, and spokesman.

You probably know him from the show's dirty jobs and returning the favor.

Today, he runs the Mike Row Works Foundation,

which awards scholarships to help students pursue careers in the skilled trades.

He pointed to a poster that hung on his office wall.

Which one of these guys would you like to be, Mike?

The caption read,

works smart, not hard.

It still makes me angry when I think about it.

Not just the stupidity of the advice,

but the pressure to borrow money.

I was 18 years old.

I had no idea what I wanted to major in.

I had no interest in borrowing money to find out.

So I stuck to my plan.

I spent the next two and a half years at Essex Community College.

...