Trying to get into web development as a career, which I really enjoy. I've been doing carpentry for my dad since high school, but I don't like it and I really don't want to be crawling around the floor all day or climbing ladders when I'm 40. I've been teaching myself in my spare time over the past few years and I recently started building a polished portfolio project that I hope potential employers will hire me on in lieu of prior work experience.
Welcome to the field! It's an exciting time to join, with a lot of messy but fun technologies to try, and different companies inventing new tools and use cases all the time.
As an aside, ever since woodshop in middle school (and one time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity), I've had so much respect for carpenters... the ability to provide an essential human need (shelter) out of trees is nothing short of amazing. And it's such artistry... there's just something deeply satisfying, almost profound, about creating works that persist beyond the computer screen. Guess the grass is always greener, huh?
Anyway, almost a bit sad to hear you're leaving the field, but totally understand your rationale. Tech is so cushy it often feels like cheating. And web dev is one of those few industries available to the average person without any special birthright or education, just a few months of training. Our society doesn't have many of those.
Thank you. I'll always dabble a bit in construction here and there, either for myself or for friends when I can actually take my time and enjoy it, but doing it professionally is depressing because residential construction is notorious for "not my problem" tradespeople, and I absolutely cannot stand that.