No. The work is hard, dirty, and you need to go through a half-decade apprenticeship program before you can even start making the big bucks (which are still no

No. The work is hard, dirty, and you need to go through a half-decade apprenticeship program before you can even start making the big bucks (which are still nowhere near what a programmer makes.) And good luck finding someone to take you on as an apprentice. I remember one of my buddies desperately pounding the pavement to get an on-the-job apprenticeship as either a plumber or electrician. It took him a couple years to find one. 20 years later and he's a successful industrial plumber, but that first decade was a lot of hard work - even before he got his first job. Also, just about everyone I know who does even a skilled trade for a living has a body full of aches and pains and injuries. That's why the smart guys become foremen or start their own business - but they've all got at least a ten year head start on anyone reading this. Just keep sitting in your home office cashing giant checks for screwing around on the computer.