[morgante]

> You can build a $5M plumbing/electrical/etc business in any location and live a much better quality of life.

If the average outcome for plumbers is owning $5M businesses, it's amazing how that doesn't show up in any statistics I've seen.

Both of my parents work in the trades. People on Hacker News glamorize it far too much. It's much more frequently a case of intermittent employment and low wages—even when you do own your own business (as both of them have at various times).