Are the trades really the economy's best kept secret?

One lament that pops up pretty regularly in the business and economic press is that jobs in the trades don't get enough love. The story goes that careers like plumbers, electricians, carpenters, machinists and mechanics offer upper-class wages without requiring a college degree and the accompanying debt load. But thanks to ignorance and a blinkered cultural obsession with four-year college degrees, the trades are going overlooked when Americans choose their career paths. Does this story...