Just to give a quick story. I was a jock in high school and didn't know what I really wanted to do. I spent all of my time playing ball and very little studying. I was smart and tested very well, but just didn't care about they typical career paths available. At the time (mid 90's) everyone was pushing computer science and journalism. I played some semi-pro ball and goofed around for a year until working as a carpenter's assistant. I got tired of doing grunt work and talked to one of the plumbers onsite. He told me that the local union was taking applications for apprectices. I went over to the hall, took the test, interviewed and got hired. The money was good, as good as an entry level position with a 4 year degree and they trained me over five years in every aspect of the trade while I worked. I will say that I picked it up extremely quickly as I was already athletic and had good coordination, but a lot of the other guys were able to use their own individual strengths in a way that they wouldn't in a typical office job. I met a broad spectrum of people and the projects and companies where I worked gave me amazing exposure to different markets and environments. After 5 years, I was making a low 6 figure salary and had a great foundation of project experience. I decided to go back to school and get a business degree and focused on project management. Honestly, having the field experience gave me a huge advantage and allowed me to excel in the office. I've been in the industry for 20 years now, make very good money and am involved in some amazing projects. The guys I went through the apprenticeship with are now the foremen, superintendents and owners and they do extremely well. I am sure the other skilled tradespeople have similar experiences and I just want to get it out there that alternate paths exist where you can be successful. I see a large number of kids coming out of college with huge debt and generic, unspecialized training. Skilled trades are a way to build a career without accumulating debt and gaining specialized knowledge in areas where the competition isn't as high and the workforce isn't overpopulated with thousands of people with the same qualifications as you going for a limited number of jobs. My brother went to college right out of high school and took electrical engineering to get into HVAC controls design and programming. After he graduated, he got hired at an engineering firm making $45k per year. He was bored and got stuck with the most rudimentary work, as expected. I told him to look into the refrigeration fitters union and a service technician path. He looked into it, signed up and absolutely loves every day of his job. He is getting to program systems, troubleshoot and install new systems. His starting pay on the first day was $22 per hour with a great benefit package, the same as at the engineering firm. Not everyone is going to be a millionare banker or write a piece of software that will net them billions, but you can make a solid six figure salary in a major metro if you are in a skilled labor field. Sorry this is so long, but I continually run into labor issues where there aren't enough high school kids coming out of school and getting into a skilled trade early. If you like working with your hands and solving problems, look into the labor unions in your area or apprenticeship programs in HVAC, electrical, plumbing, insulation, carpentry, masonry, drywall, painting, whatever. Seriously, we are always looking for qualified people.