A skilled craftsman who understands what he is doing, understands a bit of the market and the chances available to him can run circles around any struggling internet startup, if only because the equipment and training needed are typically not as easy to come by as a Rails or AJAX or web handbook.
It was more some of the other experiences I had with him.
After my experience, I've tried to apply the lessons I learned from welding to my full-time job, and I've become a better developer as a result. "Measure twice, cut once" is a mantra that should apply to every field. At the same time, it's easier now to recognize when something isn't done right and it's time to refactor or rewrite. Good welders, like good developers, do it right the first time :)
I always thought that he was going to end up as a looser, although I love him as a good friend.
Years went by and he never really got anywhere, of course supporting my theory and increasing my concern.
Then a friend suggested (for whatever reason I don't know) that he should take up system administration. So he took a couple of courses and lo and behold got an apprentice position at Maersk.
He blazed through the various Sisco certifications without any issues as such exceeding what was normally considered possible. Basically flooring those who hired him and our common developer friends.
I was puzzled and asked him how he was able to advance so fast and he basically said to me.
"You know it's not really that different from installing and welding pipes. I see things needing to be connected and I connect them"
The moral of the story.
Sometimes things that seem very complex and require a tech centric mindset is really very simple. The welder, electrician and the plumber also deals with complex systems, they just have different names for them.
My friend is still the simple minded person that I know (and love) but he sure know how to lay pipes.