Some of the successful ones that own their own businesses are able to make a lot of money (a consistent >500k/year). The downsides are that those businesses are difficult to scale since they are service oriented, and they depend on good physical health. Moreover, consistent quality is mostly the responsibility of the owners, and again, that can't always scale far either. You also get out what you put in, in most cases it seems like the pay is a linear function of productivity. It's definitely not easy or normal to make that much, but it's doable as a tradesman
Before I was a programmer I was an industrial electrician and had worked on sites, after I was a programmer we where down on a site installing some equipment and a plumber walked past and said “your the guys who came 200 miles to turn on a switch right?” And I instantly replied “nah, we just heard there was a scouser doing some work so we had to come look!” the techie I was with looked like he was gonna shit himself but the other guys around fell about laughing.
The thing with work sites is you can’t take any shit but you won’t find funnier people either.
(It was also the most meritocratic job I've ever had- your ability, or lack thereof, was on display for everyone to see. And working on teams where everyone is competent is a joy, virtually regardless of actual task.)
He worked in the wrong field for him exactly, but his skill in his trade is somewhat rare.
The man was not properly educated in many fields, but if it has anything to do with welding, he's a complete wizard. You would never know what he knows about a subject, because he might not understand all of the context or language with which a question is asked with regard to chemistry or physics... yet he does know. He can perform complex calculations in his head, on the spot, and seamlessly weld two or more different types of metals of different thicknesses in the most inhumane physical positions, and that's a Tuesday for him.
I swear he should have been working on rocket engines and not in an oil refinery, but he was never exposed to the possibility.
He expresses sometimes how he wanted each of my siblings and I to have a trade each unto ourselves, yet fails to understand that what I do can factor into that as much as carpentry, welding/pipefitting, plumbing, or otherwise. It's funny... savant-like.
Anyway, in short, I agree. :)
This is a rational reaction, actually.
The problem with he "trades" is that they are often very physically demanding and take a great toll on your body over the years. They also often have a very high potential for debilitating injury.
A 70 year old programmer is no longer rare. A 70 year old tradesman is a unicorn.
Infrastructure, properly done, outlasts its own empires.