These "I know a guy who makes a lot of money" stories do not paint a full picture of the trades in general. My family and friends worked in trades in 2008, and let me tell you, it was an absolute shit show. Many tradesmen had to travel across the country to find work, but most were just unemployed. They called it the "Man-cession" precisely because it affected blue collar workers the most. Many went to college on loans and state retraining programs to find better, more stable work. Now people (many of whom are in white collar jobs) act like it's a missed opportunity to forego the trades. I can't help but roll my eyes.

Moreover, the key word here is "union." That is the common feature of most of these tradesman success stories. People need to embrace unions in many fields if they want better jobs. A union won't protect everyone during a 2009-like economy, but it significantly improves pay, job security, and working conditions otherwise.