There have been several threads on viability of woodworking jobs, and it is obvious that everyone is different, but todays MSN headline board has a blurb on the ten worst jobs for the future. Here is the forecast from the Kiplinger Report. Two of the jobs in the bottom ten were Woodworking Machine Operator, and Cabinet Maker. Also included were Tile Setter, and Drywall Installer.
Woodworking Machine Operator: Number of jobs 70,207. Growth from 2004 to 2014.....minus 32%. Projected growth from 2014 to 2024.....+3%. Current median salary $27,337.
Cabinet Maker: Number of jobs 100,745. Growth from 2004 to 2014.....minus 29.4%. Projected growth from 2014 to 2024....minus 3.6%. Current median salary $30,846.
They mentioned under Cabinet Maker that carpenters make a median salary of $36,000, suggesting that as a possible alternate position.
Sorry to be the messenger, but I thought folks might like to see the type of numbers the large companies look at.