And to be sure, going to trade school to be a plumber isn't necessarily a magic pill — an easy, cheap way to become super-rich.
For instance, Apex Technical School's 30-week undergraduate certificate program for plumbing and pipefitting costs $17,816 for tuition and fees and $590 for books and supplies. The New York-based Steve Markowitz, president of Apex Technical College, says a big appeal of the program is its expediency.CNBC Make It
David Daza, who oversees the plumbing, electrical and veterans workforce initiatives for LaGuardia, says students cannot take out federal financial aid or loans for the program."College is expensive, and for most people even courses like this that are more affordable than the Apexs and stuff, it's still $2,000 that people don't have in their pockets all the time," says Daza.
"I love the theory of plumbing. I hate the cold, the heat and the physical demand. [Teaching] was my opportunity to stay within my field, but do it differently," says Kavral. "I took the opportunity and I was like, 'You know what, if it doesn't work out, I'll go back to the union.'"