It's bound to come up in almost every conversation about this topic online nowadays but skilled trades can be great. Especially if you plan to own your own service business. I'm talking Electricians, Plumbers, HVAC technicians, etc.

Competition is low. If you show up on time, present yourself well, and you don't show up to work under the influence, then you can be in the top 10% of the workforce easily.

I worked in the trades for about 6-7 years before switching to software engineering. I took a paycut for my first job in software. I was making $80k in a low cost of living area working in the trades. First year was $55k, on the job training was provided.

Downsides are: - Weekend work is typical - On-call is typical - Hard labor, working in the elements. Freezing conditions and/or 100*F + days working on HVAC equipment is rough. - Non-trade folk will commonly talk to you like you're not intelligent. Not a lot of prestige

Upsides: - Learn valuable hands-on skills. Can be applied to your own home to save money - Physical job = built-in exercise - Low competition - Easy to parlay into a business