You don't know what you're talking about. First off, 4 years at a university is not the same as 4 years working 10 months and going to school for 2.
Second, your wages increase as your experience increases. In Canada you make a percentage of Journeyman rate and it increases by 5% every 900 hours. So you start at 14, and after a year make 18, another year 24, another year 28, another year, journeyman rate 34-50 an hour. If you're in Alberta for instance, journeyman rate for an electrician is $42 an hour. And no, you don't spend 8 hours a day working and drive 150 miles for a 4 hour class. You stop working for 2 months and go on employment insurance while you go to school. I was able to afford my own apartment after my first year don't know what you're thinking.
Tools? You buy your own tools and if the company requires a specific specialty tool they'll usually supply it. Mechanics have pretty much the most expensive sets of tools running them about $5000, but even those are built up over a number of years and you can get away with minimal to start. Nobody expects a first year to have everything. A new electrician can start with about $300 in tools, if that, for example.
Master's tickets aren't a requirement and don't open you up to higher wages than a journeyman. What they allow is for you to take out your own permits in some jurisdictions which will let you run your own business. Some places don't trust a guy with only 4 years experience to go out on their own. I certainly wouldn't trust such a business.
What do you mean earning very little? On average here your first year you'll make 28k, second year 37k, third year 45k and fourth year 52k. Once you get your ticket after 4 you're making 65k+. Where are you getting 6 years from? Here's the average income brought in by University training: year 1, zero. year 2, zero. year 3, zero. year 4, zero. NOW, JUST NOW you'll earn ...anything.
You know how much I make working 7 weeks on, 7 weeks off? $120k a year to start, after pension. Working less than 6 months a year. (more like 5 with vacation and sick time)
Sorry, it is cold here, so no, pussies like yourself couldn't do it.