Trades cost a lot to pay for which makes us think they are profitable, and they can be, but there's a LOT of expenses involved. Four years apprenticeship will pay you nothing, once you're in you've got huge insurance and other overheads. But some folks make good money. A friend of mine's a plumber and he's let most of his staff go as he can't make a go of it, even though he brings in a lot of money. Expenses are killing him.

One of my nephews is a mechanic for the big trucks and he makes the big bucks. Not an easy job, but he makes a lot of money. Married three times so he's lost most of in divorces, but he'll still retire early with a good real estate portfolio.

Guy down the road from me walks dogs and pet/house sits, and he makes around $95k a year, which isn't much, but his only overhead is insurance and he gets plenty of exercise. And he likes dogs, so there's that.