The master carpenter guy I'm referring to is very intelligent and has worked very hard at his craft for tens of years. He didn't wake up at 18 years old knowin

The master carpenter guy I'm referring to is very intelligent and has worked very hard at his craft for tens of years. He didn't wake up at 18 years old knowing how to craft mantle pieces or build the perfect kitchen table. He studied, practiced, applied himself consistently to jobs of increasing size and artistic requirement over many years. From my exposure to craftsman and trades, I think being truly successful in trade is about 'really applying yourself' and developing real expertise and gradually expanding that expertise over time, and then making intelligent business decisions. It is really very similar to most technical disciplines: software engineering, electrical engineering, etc. I worked construction and home remodels for a while in college and then as an electricians 'helper'... also worked in cabinet shop and doing basic finish carpentry. Most people on job sites in the 90's had no drive to improve themselves. Many of them clocked off the job, drove home, picked up a 6 or 12-pack on the way, and drank the rest of night. Rinse, repeat the next day. These folks are probably the majority and thus pull down the mean/median. But capable people can make a lot of money in the trades. If you are smart enough, and hard working enough, to get a BS in CS. You were probably also capable of starting in a trade at 18-20yrs old and building a >250K profit (income for yourself) per year business. You could tell the dudes on the sites who were going places...