Lex DeVille
Sweeping Shadows From Dreams
FASTLANE INSIDER
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Wow. I'm also in your exact situation.
But instead of going back to school, I decided to do freelancing.
Why can't you do that? You can make more money freelancing than plumbing.
Some people will, but TBH, plumbing is probably the better option. Plumbers earn fair salaries and learn a useful trade that can be turned into a Fastlane business. Plus OP already has a position working in the field as a helper.
Freelance is inconsistent for most. One month there's income, the next there's not. Income is based largely on how in-demand your skill is as well as the your ability to sell yourself, and a bit of luck in finding clients.
Having trained thousands of freelancers, it takes most people 3-6 months to earn anything, and 6 months to a year to get up to levels that match a traditional 9-5 at minimum wage. Considering OP's age and experience level, this is likely to prove true for him.
Since he already has a position with plumbing he can start earning now and will be at middle-class income levels shortly. Training for plumbers takes a short time and there is considerably less competition for jobs, especially for those with a Fastlane mindset.
OP search at @IceCreamKid's thread on his service business and you can see what he accomplished with carpet cleaning. The same could be done with plumbing.
The first one failed because it was too high a barrier of entry for me to financially compete on a large scale. The second idea failed because I didn't make any sales (bad product nobody wanted) and could not afford to keep it running. The third one failed because it was in a certain craft (working with my hands) and I was just terrible at it. I was making a small profit. But I made more at my day job and the length of time it would taken to become good versus the profit margin and non-recurring revenue made it not worth it. So I quit.
Although I agree with learning plumbing, there is something you should be aware of. All of these did not fail for the reasons listed. They failed because you quit. Plumbing seems like a sure thing, but it will fail you too if you get halfway through and quit.
Welcome to the forum OP!