Education is More Than a Degree - A Personal Story

(This is a post I made in a Facebook group.)

I sometimes feel like I’ve made twice as many mistakes and bad decisions as good ones.  

I have a master’s degree. That means I made it through high school (barely; I hated school), college, and then continued on until I got an MBA from my beloved Florida State.  

But I can’t credit any of that for much of anything.  

The truth is, everything I’ve done that was worth anything came through God’s favor and what I learned from a coal miner and a farmer . . . through their legacy.  

My paternal grandfather was a coal miner, and my maternal grandfather was a farmer. They taught my parents, who in turn taught me these fundamental values: 

• Hard work 

• Grit  

• Determination  

My grandfather and his brothers left the coal mine and started the Pugh Brothers Garage in Frenchburg, Kentucky. I remember being there as a kid; my father told me stories. To me, Pugh Brothers Garage embodies the character traits above, among other things.  

I made this shirt to honor that legacy. I can't imagine where I would be without the coal miner, the farmer, and my factory- and retail-working parents. 

I have often said when speaking in public, “I’m just a blue-collar kid from Louisville, Kentucky.” And even though I’ve made many mistakes, I’m proud of who I am, where I’m from, and what it has brought me!