Think in terms of phases of your life, because chances are you will have more than one career.
Take my brother-in-law. Started as a commercial plumber, realized that his body would be destroyed by 40 if he kept carrying those 100 pound pipes up four stories. Found different ways to move his skills around - moved from new building construction to commercial appliance repair and other areas where he could use his plumbing skills. Now that he's a little older and his kids need him home more, he's got a city job as a building inspector. Plus, he and my sister have started a completely different business together. Another buddy was an electrician, did some general contracting, now he's in home inspections.
Same goes for life outside the trades... I know plenty of people who started life in tech, now they are off doing things like organic farming. You might think you can sit in front of a computer for the next 40 years, but chances are you don't really want to do that, or at a minimum, the kind of work you are doing will change. Over the decades I was in tech, I reinvented myself at least three times and I saw other people doing the same. Maybe you code for a while, then you find yourself in product management. Maybe you end up a consultant. Thinking in terms of different phases of life - where do you want to live? How much control over your compensation or your time do you want? How much time do you need for a spouse or kids (if that's important to you)? Make a plan so you don't find yourself the victim of agism or corporate purges when you start getting grey hair.
Take my brother-in-law. Started as a commercial plumber, realized that his body would be destroyed by 40 if he kept carrying those 100 pound pipes up four stories. Found different ways to move his skills around - moved from new building construction to commercial appliance repair and other areas where he could use his plumbing skills. Now that he's a little older and his kids need him home more, he's got a city job as a building inspector. Plus, he and my sister have started a completely different business together. Another buddy was an electrician, did some general contracting, now he's in home inspections.
Same goes for life outside the trades... I know plenty of people who started life in tech, now they are off doing things like organic farming. You might think you can sit in front of a computer for the next 40 years, but chances are you don't really want to do that, or at a minimum, the kind of work you are doing will change. Over the decades I was in tech, I reinvented myself at least three times and I saw other people doing the same. Maybe you code for a while, then you find yourself in product management. Maybe you end up a consultant. Thinking in terms of different phases of life - where do you want to live? How much control over your compensation or your time do you want? How much time do you need for a spouse or kids (if that's important to you)? Make a plan so you don't find yourself the victim of agism or corporate purges when you start getting grey hair.