I really thought I wanted to be a mechanic when I was in high school, as I was always very interested and adept at working on cars, bikes, boats,.... I kicked butt in power mechanics, metal, & wood shop classes as well as math. So I visited several technical schools and that fueled my desire even more. THEN a few things happened that made me decide that my interest needed to be for fun and not my vocation. Those things were first I ended up becoming friends with a guy that owned his own body shop, he told me to find something else if I didn't want to spend my life eating mac & cheese or hamburger helper. So that got me thinking. Then my mom asked the head mechanic at a large and succesful local shop if I could shadow him for a day or two. He said no problem so I spent 2 days watching what he did, asking questions and even helping out once I gained his confidence. I asked him what he thought and he said "Let me be completly black and white on this kid. Don't do it!" when I asked why he pointed to the crappy truck in the parking lot "That's what I drive. When you spend all day and night fixing other peoples vehicles you don't feel like working on your own. So I made other choices and I'm happy that I still enjoy working on things but I am equally happy that I can get paid well and surf DRN.
I have the greatest respect for guys like Eric, Rich & AJ and even am envious of them but I also know that they are the exception and not the rule.