I started earlier than you, in 1979 got hired as a school bus mechanic, but later went back to college, completed a BS in Mechanical Engineering, later, a MS in Industrial Engineering, and still working as a senior level engineer, with mechanic work on the side. I just expanded my personal shop with an additional 2,000 square feet of inside space. Now I have 1,200 sq ft of high bay area with a 20 foot ceiling and 2,000 square feet with a 10 foot ceiling. I think we need to bring back mandatory vocational training to all high school programs...now about those snowflakes, the young guys I know who tinker, restore old motorcycles and trucks have their acts together. And they are good enough not to have to work a menial 8/hr job the tire shops and independent mechanics shops want to pay. Once you are computer literate, pulling a harness into a interface plug and ready computer diagnostics is straight forward!