>>1543711not the same poster, but I have worked at a variety of bike shops over the last eight years and it while it is sometimes challenging, it has always been a net positive IMO. The trick to succeeding in the bike industry is to use that first crappy job to network your way into higher paid jobs in comfier places. I started at a community bike shop getting paid minimum wage to help homeless folks patch their tubes. It was not the greatest job, but I used the connections I made there to get in with higher end shops.
Now I work as a service tech at a bike/coffee shop, spend my days fiddling with high-end bikes and drinking free coffee. Covid has improved my working conditions a ton since we don't even let customers into the shop anymore. I get to work without answering dumb questions or getting sucked into waste of time conversations with boomers talking about all the Bianchis they used to own.
I will say though, working as a mechanic is not a really high paying job (in my experience). The most I have gotten paid is $19/hour for a temp job maintaining a shitty fleet of cruisers for a beachside rental place. I am only able to work in the field because I am lucky. I don't have any debt, I live in a part of US with lowish cost of living, and I have a partner to split expenses with.
In summation, I have really enjoyed being a bike tech, but have also been lucky enough to be able to afford low pay and not work at shitty shops.