Let me ask this- there's alot of talk about going into a trade these days. If I did, I would be most interested in the old cliche "owning my own auto shop" but from what I hear, everyone that does it, hates it. I do know one guy that owns a little shop and does pretty good. Good to remember that cost of living around here isn't near what it is in northern cities and such. My uncle never finished high school and owns his own concrete finishing business and does better than anyone in my family. He just got started in it, didn't have much overhead, and now he sets his own schedule, and half the time doesn't work in the winter. There's a lot of options out there...its just from talking to people in any profession, there is always a large percentage of people who hate it.
If you can do the math I think Mechanical is one of the most universal 4 year degrees you can get. I have friends I graduated with working in the auto industry, HVAC, Oil and Gas, aerospace, etc etc.
+1 on everyone's contrib.'s, thus far. To the OP, my late brother-in-law was one of the wisest men I have ever known. An iron worker by trade, he ventured into structural engineering. Anyway, as well off as he was, on more than one ocassion he told me / lamented,
"If I could do it over again, I'da gone into HVAC or elevator maint/repair." I thought he was pullin' my leg at the time and, when I questioned his sincerity, he replied,
"Futuristics dude; you should look it up sometime . . . no matter what else happens on this rock we call Earth, people are going to need 3 types of specialists and two of them will be to control the climate and address the reality that eventually, all new construction will be UP!" (The guy could look like a giant hillbilly until he opened his mouth but, he was a genius!)
So, in addition to all the preceding and excellent advice, I will add that I too would give strong consideration to HVAC, seeing how well my buddies who got into after high school are doing now . . .
(The third type specialist for which demand will only increase as the future rolls along? Sanitation and waste disposal. (Already a LOT of moolah in that and there will only be more in the future!)
Best o' success!
