re: Brother will be going to trade school this fall. What trade would you recommend to him?

Something to consider is how hard it is to start your own business if you are interested in that. Diesel mechanic and pipeline welder are great, but owning your own company is better. Owning a diesel repair shop/ company for example is not nearly as easy or financial feasible when young as starting an Hvac/ plumbing/ electrical company. Some guys just want to work for someone else and pull a salary or whatever their whole life, nothing at all wrong with that. But starting an elevator repair company that’s union is probably extremely difficult for example.