Over dinner, a few friends got to talking about lifetime learners (LLs), sometimes regarded as "the people who took too long to get their degrees." One of the LLs was a janitor who collected his diploma while in work clothes. A friend at the dinner table felt shame for the guy. His feeling intrigued me to inquire what it was all about. As a house cleaner for many years, I never felt ashamed of myself for having had such a job. It was good money for a 12 to 20-some year old. I was able to work relatively alone and did not have to bring people ketchup or mustard. And, I brought home some bacon.