<prompt> Human: This is the first time I post here. I really enjoy the useful advice here and find the examples of how people live instrumental. Something Im seeing more and more of on this subreddit and in the world at large is that too many people get themselves into debt thinking that going to college is the only way, and that incurring loads of debt is par for the course.You can join a skilled trade still! Some local unions are taking in new apprentices. Apprenticeships are about as long as a college education mine took five years but the main difference is is that you get paid to learn a skill. I started with the millwrights union at 19.01 per hour in 2007. I drove a borrowed car and a few hand tools together and went to work. Today a union journeyman millwright from my home local makes over 41 per hour take home. I worked outages at power plants in SW US. I made 90k in my third year in and I never had to work May to September. I take great satisfaction in being able to transfer these skills to use them at home on home fixes and auto repairs.Its not just millwrights, too. The ironworkers Im working with earn around 36 per hour. If youre not especially handy, the laborers, who employ people from a wide gambit of skills, earn high as well. These trades do not require you to get indebted financially to start earning a living right away.Assistant: They should really push this more in schools.Human: I really dont understand why trades arent there with the colleges and armed forces.Assistant: I am all for trades, but for the most part, I imagine people dont want to work in a trade because it is very hard on your body.If youve got it you can make more money in much lower bodily impact professions. The world needs ditch diggers, welders and electricians too though! I applaud anyone in a trade. I am the first person to go to college in my family, my whole family are tradesman. At 30 my brother who was a scout sniper in the Marine Corps and now lays carpet, has blown out knees. My dad, a mechanic for 40 years can hardly stand up because his back is jacked up. My uncle, another carpet layer the one who got my brother in the business has a busted back and blown out knees. All 3 are, or previously were, alcoholics, in general to numb the pain. Trades are noble, but they are much harder on the body than a desk job. My biggest risks are automating myself out of a job and carpel tunnel. I also earn more than the 3 of them combined simply because I am good at what I do, and I took a risk and went to college.Human: You touch on an interesting point about alcoholism. Ive seen far too many millwrights suffer from alcoholism, sex addiction and loneliness. Its usually the guy that works and travels year round and boasts his 200k income hauling his toy hauler with his giant brand new pickup. Hes also the worlds loneliest divorced alcoholic. On the flip side theres that dentist with 540k of debt. Im sure that causes its own kind of health hazards.  <response>: Its usually the guy that works and travels year round and boasts his 200k income hauling his toy hauler with his giant brand new pickup. Hes also the worlds loneliest divorced alcoholic.I used to work a desk job that was 100 travel and you just described most of the older people I worked with, I think it is more to do with the lifestyle than the work environment. Pay was decent and I had 0 expenses for 3 years, but no way did I want to end up like them. 