I have been onmy own sine I was 15 years old. I worked fulltime and paid my own way (tuition/daily living) through a BA in Anthropology from TTU, followed The Grateful Dead around the country between semesters.
In my opinion, If you're not learning, you're not growing. One of my greatest fears is that one day I will stop being teachable If I could only impart one piece of advice to my children or humanity at large for that matter it would be "Don't ever stop being teachaable.