It hasn’t been this hard for Americans to find work since 2021

Glad I abandoned dev work and hopped into a trade during COVID. Technically minded folks who can keep a lot of details in their head and have a good sense of order of operations are sought after in construction. The work can be hard at times but the reality is between unions, OSHA, and available equipment the amount of physical exertion required for many trades these days is fairly minimal. I build labs as a finish carpenter nowadays, get to see some pretty cool operations and get paid well (as long as there is work).