Never met an out of work .. (Score 2, Insightful)

Bookie or porno director... Certified electricians and plumbers don't do so bad these days either, and it takes less time and money to get certified than it does to get a degree. Seriously. Unix admins who are used to installing there own cat5 cable and stuff should have no problems getting certified as good old fashioned electricians. I've heard a lot of stories about _huge_ sums made by electrical contractors on major construction projects, or simply those doing residential wiring who are known and trusted in a neighbourhood. We're talking lawyer/banker-sized paychecks. This stuff is well paid because it isn't glamorous and nobody thinks about setting up in plumbing or electrical contracting after years running up student debt & cramming their heads with useless abstract 'middle class' knowledge at university, ergo:- You won't be competing with thousands of unemployed MIT & Stanford Ph.Ds who have no family to provide for and are prepared to work 16 hour days. People need a plumber to stop the poo backing into the shower _even during recessions_.