I understand that welding takes skill. But I'm more wondering why I've personally talked to several parents/grandparents with kids about to graduate highschool with poor grades - and nearly everyone of those people has said that college isn't the right choice for their kid, so they're going to go into the trades and become a welder.

So far, none of the kids I'm referring to have actually become a welder. Are those family members saying their kid is going to become a welder because of the skill involved at the highest level of the craft? Is welding the blue collar equivalent of becoming an artist?