re: What are some jobs that pay less than people expect.

I'll tell you who's doing well in small towns across this country, and that's exactly who you just described. A competent, timely mechanic shop who has the knowledge and tooling to work on most any vehicle has always been a hot commodity, but they're dying out and in small towns if one or two still exists, they're slammed with work.

I'm not saying they net $200k a year, but I know of a few mechanic shops that I've no doubt in my mind gross that much and are an invaluable source of cash flow in their small town.