My father was/is a jack of all trades guy. He's always been right in the middle of the fairway on middle class as such. Once I hit corporate America, I decided to move up the chain I needed to specialize and choose Corporate Finance. Got my undergrad degree as an adult (Econ), T10 MBA program with a heavy focus on finance, shifted into corporate FP&A in the middle of the program combined with a ton of independent research and just took off from there. Thanks to a lot of hard work, some luck, and the brain God/parents gave me, my income has gone up 5x in the last 6 years now one step below the CFO level for a > $6b company. That said, don't ask me to fix my car or do housing repairs! I can't do them, while my father can do them in his sleep even though that's not what he does for a living!
Well, God bless you and your success! I made the “mistake” of choosing (and loving!) a field in which there never was a lot of money (maybe a handful of exceptions), and in which the industry in the US collapsed about 30 years later. There are still niches, but it’s like lichen clinging onto a wind & sea battered rock. (Not to mention care of my P’s coming into the picture too — one has only so much time and energy!) It’s tough to restart when one is in their 60’s & has parents in bad shape to take care of.
That said, I have been blessed to have work I enjoy, there is still a little around, it makes or perhaps better said has made a lot of people’s lives a smidgen better, and I have a little talent for it. I’m not bitter!
P.S. I’m like your Dad — I might offer to fix your car or house, but, you already have him! :-)