Yeah, I think the sweet spot is nuclear and/or medical+food grade stainless or exotic welders. I sat next to a guy on a flight recently - probably late 20s, def not over 32. He was headed to do welding on a nuclear plant, $80/hr plus all expenses (travel/per diem), 6 - 12s for 3 weeks straight, then off for a week or two. At the end of the month he'll have the down payment he needs to by a house.

It's hard work, and it's not as much money as u/w, but it's not as batshit crazy or dangerous either.

I took some welding classes a while back, and I kind of suck at it. I'd feel bad about that, but I bill $200/hr as a structural engineering consultant, so if I really have to run a super-nice stack of dimes on an Aluminum joint I can usually do it with my wallet instead of a TIG machine.