Doing the trades takes brains, too. Spend anytime around a decent plumber, electrician,

carpenter, et al., and you learn that really fast. They also involved a lot of hours and less of that vaunted work-life balance, so to just say that we need to get kids to take up the trades isn't the easy solution many think it is.

I love Mike Rowe's advice - "Find something you're good at and you'll start to like it" - and I often use that line when I hear someone say, "Follow your passion!"