[jhynesrockmtn]

The plumber I use works much of his time as a sub for a friend who is a high end remodeling contractor who mostly works on historic late 1800s/early 1900s homes. He does schedule other work around his sub commitments. He's a one man show and seems to have done well.

My buddy has a roughly 7 man crew. A tile guy, a woodworker (he built our bathroom vanity) a mason (a lot of the historic homes here have rock foundations), two painters and a general laborer. All of the skilled guys are also good general carpenters. His main two guys are in their 60s and close to retirement. There is nobody to take their place. He subs out roofing, glass work like shower doors, electrical and plumbing. He keeps talking about retiring and selling his company, but other than a customer list, there isn't much to sell. All that to say there are not enough guys/gals who want to enter the trades. Someone who is skilled and honest can make a good living.

I'd say plumbing or electrical if a specialty is what he wants. If he wants to be a GC at some point, join a crew as a laborer/framer and work your way up.