[eitland]

In some places it has been.

Man I sometimes wished I had a valid mechanicans or electricians certification during the oil boom here ;-)

[endzone]

and now you wouldn't have a job.

in the uk, the plumbers/electricians are lucky to make £20/hr.

[TheOtherHobbes]

In the UK, plumbers and electricians can make more than developers do.

It depends where they work - London and the SE pay a lot better than the run down cities in the North - and how good their network is.

I used to know someone with a well-paid City job who retrained as a plumber. He earns almost as much as he did and is considerably less stressed. The only downside is occasional snobbery.