Plumbers and electricians are still locked into the vestiges of the medieval guild system. You start as an apprentice, after some years and qualifications progress to journeyman, and then after much experience and credentialing rate as a master.

If that's medieval, then by the gods below, let's go medieval. Speaking for myself, the folks I worked with who came about the craft (software development) from school are always so steeped in theory they can't make actual progress on the tool. They'll throw away a year's worth of effort so they can re-write it in Javascript, no Dart, no Typescript, no...

In contrast, the people who learned at the hands of mentors always showed more interest in actually becoming good at the trade, and favor practicality over theory. They will usually work to fill their own gaps in knowledge, and become some of the lynchpins on any development team.

I'll take an earnest, self-taught person coming up from the QA department every day over a greenhorn fresh out of college.

> A minor felony conviction (drunk driving, drug possession etc)

Neither of those things are "minor felonies". They're misdemeanors, and don't close all those doors. Felony convictions hover around 8.6% of the population based on a cursory Google search, and most non-drug related felonies are serious business.

If you do get convicted of a felony, yes, your life as you know it is over (can't vote, can't own guns, etc etc) However, the two offenses you state are not felonies, unless you've hurt somebody while drunk driving or you possess enough drugs to indicate intent to distribute.

Nearly 10% is an awfully large percentage of people to be permanently disenfranchised for a one-time mistake. And it's easily possible to collect a felony conviction for something as trivial as shoplifting - the vast majority of shoplifters being mentally ill and not hardened criminals.

At the same time, it seems a bit much to say "your life as you know it is over". Lots of people don't vote or own guns anyway.

> At the same time, it seems a bit much to say "your life as you know it is over". Lots of people don't vote or own guns anyway.

Uhm, that's not the only problems you face. If you're not aware of it: you don't get a lot of federal benefits, credit etc is screwed, noone will rent you their apt etc., unemployable for almost every job except janitor etc.... your life is over.

Drunk driving can be a felony. Everything depends on the outcome. Hurt someone or do it more than once,and you will be looking at a felony charge. For drug possession, depending on how much you have, and how you carry it, possession quickly becomes possession with intent to distribute. Get caught with drugs while crossing a state line or boarding a plane and you will be lucky to avoid federal charges. Then there are conspiracy options should your possession be linked to other people.