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Comment by zozbot234 | Hacker News Reader

> You do realize that a career in the skilled trades can lead to very good pay, right?

Only if you can start your independent business, which few can do pretty much by definition. That's still a recipe for bimodal outcomes. And the U.S. has pushed "college achievement" on paper, but their K-12 education still sucks. There's no way that this isn't a drag on college outcomes.

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This isn't necessarily true. I know a wide range of folks that work in union trade positions, and they make very good money. Now, sometimes, those jobs can be unpleasant for awhile (building is behind schedule, etc, etc), but they also last a finite amount of time.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that the trades are a gravy train for everyone, but the idea that you will barely make ends meet is also not the case.

> union trade positions

But union jobs are at an all time low.

I would say of the significant number of tradesmen I've met that owned their own business, practically all worked for someone else. Thats how you acquire the skills to start your own business. I paid two guys to spackle and paint a bathroom, install a vanity and new fixtures. They were the "no experience, but lets start a business" guys you don't want to meet. 2/3 way thru, I stopped them, paid them, gave them one piece of advice - "get a mentor to work FOR". I finished the job myself.

I knew people who started oilfield welding businesses at the age of 18 right out of high school, bought houses and started families. Yeah that is a boom-and-bust business but then again so is machine learning.

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