I'm a carpenter, I make cabinets and furniture (IT refugee). Economy looks good from here.

im in a similar situation. Im a finish woodworker on the Coast of Maine with more work than i can handle. I work seasonally and my income allows me to support my wife whom I travel with all winter without any financial concerns.
However..... I know many others who work construction that arent nearly as fortunate. I cater to the wealthy as you do. But its entirely regional, my old construction buddies in upstate NY tell me they are just scrapping by. Likewise If you take a drive 15 miles inland from Maines coast you find some pretty dire areas rife with poverty. Even on the coast work can be spotty.

I provide a high end and consistent product which i am fortunate to be known for. But i never take it for granted. Ive also been around long enough to see the building market disapear for several years at a time and the only jobs are at home depot.

My advice (not that your asking) ..keep doing what you are doing but remain humble. If the economy takes a dip in your area dont hold out for only the good jobs. Building out yaht interiors for the super rich is nice but may not always remain sustainable. Ive seen over and over, high end builders go without work because they were too used to the high life when things went south, unwilling to adjust to lesser economic times.

ive been in the biz for about 25 years now for whatever thats worth and have seen just about everything.

I build allot of yacht interiors, all custom work. My shop rate is 80$/hr, and my on-site rate for yacht carpentry is 100. I have work lined up for at least the next two years.
I have never had problems finding employment, I have been doing this kind of work for about ten years and have really enjoyed learning various woodworking techniques.

I started doing this after working in IT/tech support/database management for far too long. I'm so much happier now, the IT jobs are soul-crushing and dont even require much skill. The best thing I ever did for my-self was to unplug from the digital world. I still use a smart phone, but I no longer spend hours and hours staring at a screen. The worst part is that you never get any real gratitude from employers or clients.

If your current job sucks' quitting and moving on to something else may be the best thing you could do for your self.

I too am an IT refugee! I did client server engineering/outsourcing as we slowly placed all of the IT infrastructure of the US to India and Brazil. Indeed it was soul crushing. I am now learning to become an electrician, and I am from the northeastern tip of new england. Cheers on your new career and Go Pats!

I hear ya OP. I used to be in the IT business as well. My dad, brother and I owned a communications company. We sold, serviced and installed telephone systems, voicemail and ivr systems, digital surveillance systems and computer networks.

Back in 2007 when the telecom bubble burst, floods of IT guys were laid off. A lot of them became trunkers. That is what we called one man shows working out of the trunk of their cars. They flooded the DFW area with real cheap labor and it became difficult for bigger companies (like us) to stay afloat.

My dad has got shitloads of money so it was no big hit for him. I got laid off and my brother is still running the outfit but just barely.

Anyway, I live 70 miles SE of Dallas where our company was based. So I had to find a new line of work. I got introduced to the propane business. Out here in the rural areas, most places don't have natural gas. Propane is the alternative.

Good margins in this business, close to $1 a gallon. So now I am Hank Hill, I sell propane and propane accessories. We have been setting above and below ground tanks out here like crazy. Most on new houses. If people are building new houses out here, which half are weekend places or get a ways, then our economy is booming. At least here in Texas, anyway.

I have never been happier and the money is flowing in.

I call bull shit. I live in Fort Lauderdale the yacht capital of the world. No one is waiting 2 years for your "skilled labor".

And when you work for the elite, you're a sellout, a pawn, yet you brag bc you're a lackey? No one cares...

If anyone gets the chance to work for yourself, you should roll the dice and give it a try. If it works for you, you will be the happiest you have ever been. It is hard work, but it doesn't seem like work at all. Good luck!

See, this is what I'm afraid of. No fear in learning carpentry skills, but in learning how to run my own business: getting clients, bookkeeping, tax filing, ordering products. It all seems scary and bewildering.

that's the hard bit... i say this after working gov... for near 20 years

Do you guys think, everything is fake BS? Is there anything that isnt? Think about that for a min.

I can relate to the OP.

I have a college degree in Graphic Design, but when I graduated 10 years ago, the economy was shit and my field was flooded with so many people doing what I do.

So I was stuck working gas stations and waitressing jobs.

I started painting murals for people and painting faux finishes on the side, and I haven't looked back since! It took a few years to get the momentum I have now, and I made more and more money each year. And for the past 2+ years I have been consistently booked at least a month in advance at any given time. I hardly get a day off unless I specifically plan it into my schedule.

I get a lot of repeat clients, lots of referrals, and lots of business through other sources. I just need to work on asking for more money!