This sentiment gets expressed a lot on Hacker News, but I really wonder how many people saying this are actually familiar with these careers. I was the first pe

This sentiment gets expressed a lot on Hacker News, but I really wonder how many people saying this are actually familiar with these careers. I was the first person in my family to ever go to college. My dad, both grandfathers, all of my uncles, my brother-in-law, most of my cousins all worked or work in skilled trades. Aside from the physical demands which can and do tend to eventually beat you up (my dad's knees barely work at this point), sure, it's stable and reliable work, eventually, once you've become senior enough in your union. But it takes a while to get to that point, and it can be very hit or miss depending on where you live and local economic conditions. The GFC and Covid were both devastating. My brother-in-law got addicted to heroin and did a stint in prison, largely because his entire career field effectively disappeared in 2009 and 2010 when commercial construction just stopped happening everywhere in LA and Orange counties. Nothing to do that would pay him for two years. And even at the senior end, unless you're a contractor owning your own business employing other skilled tradespeople, the money is still at best half what I earn to lay in bed all day typing on a laptop. I've spent the last 20 years now in cushy, easy jobs giving away thousands of dollars at a time to the rest of my family because of the general unreliability of their income streams working in skilled trades.