Barney began his quest to do "something bigger" the summer following high school. He worked for college money, starting out as a stake driver for Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus and later laying rails for the C. B. & Q Railroad.

In the fall Barney moved to Lincoln to attend the University of Nebraska with the $65 he had saved over the summer. After paying room and board at the YMCA, purchasing books, and paying tuition, he had $1.25 left. Barney worked some nineteen different jobs to put himself through college, the most notable being movie theater usher and newspaperman. This move to Lincoln was the beginning of Barney's illustrious career.