Basil;
Yes money is getting harder to come by.
So true!
If people would realize what they miss using money as a yardstick they might be lots happier.
There is no true joy in "stuff".
I always encourage those who ask to pursue what they love and with luck and dedication the money will sort itself out.
Combine that with use what you need, need what you use and you can be quite happy without all the "stuff" you need the money for!
Just an old farts hindsight.
I think all facets of RE will be active in the near to far future [duh].
I got into computers as a side to the electronics I was working at when not many regular folks knew what a computer was. Despite the thoughts of many that it was not going to be worth the time and a bit of a dead end career wise.
Well... the rest is history. Never got "rich" but between electronics and computers I have had everything I needed. Plus work I enjoyed and changed enough as I went along to stay interesting
Good luck with it, Electron Pump!
Tom