Beautiful piece, Mull, and I adore that Matthew Crawford quote. I was unusual in my parenting advice: I tried to persuade all my children to learn a (manual) trade or skill. I think it is so sad that the education system seems to judge practical trades as somehow "less than" academic study. It is not a distinction I have ever made. By all means, pursue academia if that is where your passion lies, but if, like my son, your passion is working with engines, then for goodness sake, get a job as a car mechanic and go from there.