Counterpoint: The Welding and Plumbing Job Outlook in the Face of Housing and Automotive Downturns

Carla Jenkins contacted me to ask how I thought earning certification in a trade like welding or plumbing would help workers find a job when people are losing houses and there are no leaky faucets, when industries like automotive and tourism are hurting.

These are good questions. My response to her was that I don't have a magic answer. The point of my story is that when jobs are hard to find, it can be easier to nab one when you have a tangible skill to market.

I'd like to know what you think about this. Does having a trade skill make the recession easier to weather, or not?