builders (even bank clerks want to be one)

That is not stress it's just lack of baIIs to say it can't be done in nornam hours

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What if your personal income depends on whether or not it can be done in normal hours? - if it can't be done, don't bother coming back.

this is an interesting discussion.
I am 32 and was pushed into college and ended up in IT. I have been working as a software tester since I left college and I can see the appeal of having a trade. If I had my time again I would definetly get myself a trade.
I can agree with one of the previous posters that mental stress is worse than physical. I come of of work jaded after a long and very very tedious day, dreaming of doing something else.
I've worked as a labourer for most of my summer jobs in college. I've been bullied by asshole builders for sure but doing labouring is not a trade, its donkey work anyway which I didn't like.
Now I spend my days day dreaming of having my own business and being my own boss and never going bullshit meetings and dealing with emails and spreadsheets and nerds.
Oh well at least the money is average.

Unregistered said:

A lot of people here are equatting being under pressure to perfrom a task and "stress"

The current generation of 20's seem to think that being under pressure in work is somewhat "fun" and "stressfull" at the same time

It is only work after all

Try feeding a family without having a job, try trying to find a job and there just aren't any, try explaining to a chile that the reason the other kids call them scruffy is not their fault

Thats is stress

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Very good point, A little perspective here is a good thing. Not having a job is generally more stressful than the work related stress that you get when you have one.
If builders screw up and go over budget or over time they can loose money on a job and go out of business. Being self employed is more stressful than working for someone else.
The other thing is that not very many brick layers work into their 60's so their career is considerably shorter than a some class of scrivener.

For the record I have two Brickies working in my estate building walls. I had a beer with them last week. One is in his fifties, while the other is in his early twenties. Both work 8:30 - 4:30 five days a week. The guy in his fifties grossed over €120k last year, while the guy in his twenties grossed over €80k last year. Not bad for a stress free 40 hour week! (It's their boss who has to worry about the bricks & mortar not arriving on time)