My boomer father was a carpenter and drywaller. When the recession in the early 80's hit the interest rated skyrocketed. There was no work, and I remember my father standing in line for government cheese. There was no way I would ever go into the trades. I would make sure I put myself in a position, so that would never happen to me. I'm not against the trades, but I want people to know what could and might happen when there is an economic slowdown. Right or wrong... I chose not to save any money for my kids education. I work extremely hard to pay off my house, dump as much money as I can in a 401k, and be completely debt free. I've haven't had any credit card interest or car loan interest since 1997. My 1st daughter will graduate high school in 5.5 years and my 2nd in 7.5 years. My house will be paid off in just less than 5 years. College bills scare me... my oldest wants to be an early education teacher and my youngest a pediatrician.