And these journalists must be lazy as fuck if they are using Reddit as a source, now!

It was what started my husband onto a career in the arts field - and it is a requirement/skill for half of his employees in his metal/industrial design shop.

Don't think horses - that's a narrow specialty.

But yep it is - and he's now had three paid apprentices who are making huge bucks in their early 20's.

He learned it old school from a guy in Acri Italy - then went to art school.

His best juried prizes have all been in iron -

And gates for a millionairs shore 'house' - start at 150K.

I have to wonder if armourers and sword smiths are having a field day in Hollywood given the number of television shows and movies with sword play.

Don't they use 'trick ones' or falsies?

'Set Guts' for Broadway - is another big money maker. Some of the sets on shows are so elaborate that a welder/designer/artist can make a solid buck .

I know that - but the average person doesn't even know what the word is. They don't know what it means - and they automatically go to that.

And the average blacksmith or farriers is NOT a restoration specialist or an artist.

UNESCO restoration is very specific and yeah - anyone can call themselves a visual artist - but without legitimate training and a few jury wins - I don't consider people to be one.

The salary doubles if you can do restoration work - think the iron around stained glass in four hundred year old cathedrals, balconies in Spain, France, Charleston SC, New Orleans, etc. etc.

Great field for women - as men turn their noses up at this - so if you are an artistic woman? Go for it!

Thanks. One daughter is studying Mechanical Engineering and the other plans to study Nursing. I view both degrees as flexible degrees to further education/opportunities in their respective fields. I forwarded the comments section about Field Service Engineer, which is a great idea, to my daughter studying engineering. I have already been discussing alternatives for the daughter starting in nursing. She is a high school junior but has already completed 27 hours of classes (after this semester) towards her nursing degree including her CNA certification class (she loved the clinicals which is a great sign).

The important thing is that I have been discussing careers and emphasizing education since they were young. While their degrees are somewhat vocational my daughters combine the technical knowledge gained from these degrees with strong language and critical thinking skills. We talk about economics, social policy, and the latest developments in science and technology on our walks and car rides. Not sports or the latest celebrity going ons.

Richard Florida has a good book about this topic called The Rise of the Creative Class. Worth having your children and grandchildren spend the time to read.

You're under 40, it rare to see anyone older than that doing it unless they are the company owner or a large crew foreman that doesn't have to climb anymore.

just got his lineman's certification (he is 19 or 20). Kid did his prerequisite college while in high school. Likes being outdoors and will be pushing high five figures in a relatively low cost area in the midwest while still under 21. Easily could have gone to college now and may someday as he moves up in his career, but this is a wonderful opportunity for a real go getter.

GIS/Mapping

Most of the people I know in the field are either graduates in GIS (so they're the young ones, mostly) or learned it over the years on the job (they comprise most of the older ones.) However, if you like geographical technology (not "geography" which would likely fall under history-type degrees) then you'd do well in that field.

I'm a mapper, so I know both Autodesk's Civil 3D software as well as some of ESRI's ArcGIS package. Both are huge programs, and so plenty to learn other than how cartography works.

It was probably the most difficult 'B' I ever made. I had a good teacher, just that I had difficulty discerning between the various methods of technical writing. They all seemed pretty much the same to me, only slightly different overall.

You'd probably do well with it. I seem to be better writing either instructions or fiction. Maybe I can write a guide to the afterlife that reads like a set of stereo instructions

That might have been "awesome" in 1980...

Definitely not an easy profession, and the liability factor is ungodly high, but once you get into that business you're set.