“These days kids don’t work till they get out of college and can’t figure out why no one wants to hire them.”
20 years ago I suggested to my electrical contractor friend that he advertise to the ‘better’ people in high school and offer them $15/hour. 20 years ago, and no one would take him up for that much money...like you, I probably would have PAID the contractor $15/hour to learn that skill.
The one thing I regret in life is that I never learned to be a plumber.