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That is the huge difference. The people I am talking about are your Amazon warehouse workers, doormen, marginal salesmen, stockers, etc. Basically those people who are in the "be a warm body" positions. There is a path for almost all these people to a decent living. You just need to keep at it, because, like I've seen with so many kids from my high school, your competition will lose ground by going on a bender and being chronically late and end up with a resume gap, which ends up being a full reset to your progression. If you just start at an Amazon warehouse at 18 and work straight through to 26, you will be making decent wages by then. And probably be a manager soon enough, hell, they will pay for your night class associates (and its not just Amazon, they basically followed the wal mart model with a twist). But you can't take 6 months off at any time during the buildup unless you are doing it at a college with knowledge from the bosses who want you to get a specific degree so the HR lady won't pester them when they promote a "high school educated white man" to manager at age 27 (the HR ladies being both racist and classicist in these ways).
Even in early trades you need to be super locked in because a lot are controlled by ludacris union rules, even in states where unions are officially optional. Basically, because so many people in your area fall into bad habits, to succeed you just need not to, but also APPEAR to not to. And a big resume gap looks like doing meth.
Eh, the bar's probably much lower in the trades than as a big-corp drone (Amazon, Walmart, etc) -- "do you blow your whole cheque on crack and not show up for 3 days every two weeks, or is it only sometimes" is not an outrageous interview question.
Assuming some competence, nobody would blink at "I took six months off to travel in SE Asia" other than that they might tease you for being a perv -- which you could easily counter with "that face when u have no hot Asian wife".
Saving the money to actually do this would require some discipline, but shouldn't be impossible -- apprenticeships are paid, and funding for the school part is readily available.
It is, but the trades are actually quite skilled work. If you are good, you are as irreplaceable as it comes.
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I can completely see that if you haven't locked in a journeyman trade or are not established in your career that it would set you back.
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