Cherry-picked example. Although I do think the Conservative opinion of skilled trades is not really rooted in reality. Most of the better-off tradesmen are sole proprietors.
And of course, the trades aren't a panacea. Demand ebbs and flows and sometimes work can be hard to come by. But I see nothing wrong with suggesting it as an option to a college degree (and the debt that goes along with it). Even if the salary isn't that high, it still beats being unemployed with $20K in student debt.
That's like saying the better off developers are senior software architects or consultants.
If you want to optimize your trade career for money owning your own business is simply where that path leads.
Some people just don't apply themselves. Some just have bad luck. Some have a combination of the two. It's unfair to Orry Carriere (the individual in question) for us who aren't better-versed in his personal history to assume which of the above cases (or perhaps others unmentioned) he falls into.
But regardless, the article seems to have cherry-picked Mr. Carriere. Alternatively, how would someone who graduated in the middle of his class (or near the top) and never was fired from their job have done as a welder?
I'm quite open to the argument that the "wealthy welder" is truly a myth.... but this article was not the most compelling, objective way to make the argument.
The first is that we're equating high school performance to life performance. High school in America is a joke for a variety of reasons (lack of funding, gentrification etc) and I don't think highschool performance represents how well a person does at all given how many different circumstances can affect that at a young age.
Second, 'missing too much work' in America can mean things such as 'taking time off because you're sick' or 'having to deal with familial emergencies', all of which many jobs do not at all allow any leeway in.
The person in the article made multiple efforts and worked hard to try and get a better job/life for his family. The fact that you immediately isolate out the things he's had to deal with make me wonder if you've experienced poverty or had to deal with shitty jobs in the past.