I've been going back and forth for months on whether to quit my office job and try something with my hands. This book gave me the numbers I needed - actual hourly rates, not 'potential earning potential' nonsense. The Chapter 1 breakdown of a real shift was eye-opening. I didn't know about the 4 a.m. starts or that you spend half the day cleaning. It didn't scare me off, but it made me take the decision seriously. Glad I read it before I spent money on a class.

Decent overview, but I wanted more depth on the training options. The comparison table was helpful, but I wish it included more detail on community college programs versus going straight into a shop. The self-assessment checklist was practical, not fluffy like most career books. I gave it three stars because I felt the salary section was a bit conservative based on what I've seen in supermarket postings on the West Coast. Still, a solid starting point if you're completely new.

I'm a high school counselor trying to give kids real alternatives to four-year degrees. This is one of the few books I've found that talks about a trade without romanticizing it or making it sound like a miserable fallback. The chapter on what butchers actually do - the cold, the early hours, the physicality - is honest without being discouraging. My only complaint is that some sections felt repetitive. But my students who've read it say it helped them decide, which is the whole point.