I congratulate the self-starters of the world, those who have found success all by themselves, without needing anything but a minimal education and a load of chutzpah.

You are an inspirational few.

And I congratulate, equally, those of you whose families handed down enough to sustain you, to stake you to a beginning that would help you cultivate whatever you can.

You are blessed.

I am in neither of those groups.

I land squarely in a much, much larger pool of folks, a big pool where we work some hard physical tasks for a while until we realize that, say, refinishing furniture for a living will not sustain us.

It’s a world where factory work, profitable while it lasts, may not last forever and is, in some cases, acutely dangerous.

I know I’ve written this before, so bear with me. In the press room of the factory eventually known as Electrolux here in Webster City, I nearly lost both hands — twice.

Sometime after the second close call I began looking for another way to make a living.

I made a choice.

I was lucky. I had two years at Iowa Central Community College under my belt, so I was quite hirable.

Those two years are called post-secondary education.

In our system, we have primary school, and we have secondary school. Secondary school is that from which we graduate at the end of our senior year of high school.

Post-secondary is just what it sounds like — it’s whatever education comes after that.

I bring this up because some forward-thinking Hamilton County folks want all children here to be financially able to look beyond secondary to those post-secondary years.

They want to start really early. Like kindergarten early.

They theorize that if a kid knows there is a plan early on to support some kind of schooling beyond high school they’re likely to do better.

I agree.

I always thought I would go to school after high school. I just didn’t know how.

My family did not put aside money for college. My parents had some means, but it was like most peoples’: far from unlimited.

If a fund had been started when I was in kindergarten, if $5 or $10 was tucked into that fund every now and then, it would have helped.

And it would have been encouraging.

Now, don’t think poor Jane. I did OK. I took out student loans and, in graduate school, I was fortunate to achieve scholarships.

And, when I could no longer sustain my education, I quit and worked.

There is nothing wrong with that.

There is also nothing wrong with not going to college. I think that’s important to say. Every plumber or electrician out there knows what I’m getting at. You do not need college to make your life what you want it to be.

But, on the flip side, you are likely to need some kind of training after high school to achieve your goals.

I bring it up because it’s important to underscore that post-secondary doesn’t mean you have to grow up and commit to years and years of college to be an attorney or a doctor.

Post-secondary education can mean training to become a welder, for instance.

I think we need to focus on that reality.

The Financial Literacy Council of Greater Hamilton County wants every child in Hamilton County to have a choice.

There is, in my mind, no more worthy cause.

I made a choice, because I could make a choice. And because of that, I am a writer and an editor. Those hands that were nearly cut off twice maybe 40 years ago? They’re talking to you now.

My choice made all the difference.

Jane Curtis is interim editor of the Daily Freeman-Journal.