I had a friend in Colorado who was working the Bakken oil field in North Dakota
and had a salary of $120,000. He has a high school diploma only but had the
right work attitude and so oversaw 12 other men on the derrick floor.

He was riding high until his back-at-home wife called him and told him "Come and
get your kids" as she had found another man during his absence.
Now he is making $13.50 an hour in his small town Colorado home and supporting
his kids. She still gets part of his income.

Barring bad luck and poor decisions, manual skills can earn a very good living
but one has to actively manage his/her career just like the "suits."

Wow! Neat old tool story.  What channel is the rest of the story on?

Bill W.
Nottingham, PA
Woodworkers visit me at http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/