I've turned my two college degrees into a technical trade. I do work with my hands AND a keyboard. So I bridge the gap, so to speak.
I'm way over educated for what I do, degrees in software engineering and electrical engineering. But I like making things work.
The story in that article reminded me of just this past Friday when I was working on an old (that's spelled 1997 in the computer biz) server, and had to consider many of the same things. Tearing into old stuff can often introduce more issues, so do you really want to go there. Just as the article mentioned, do you really want to take that cover off, knowing you might break more than you fix.
I can sleep well at night. I know that something works or it doesn't work when I'm done with the job. If it doesn't work too many times, then I'm on the street.
When I was in high school, I was just going to enlist, and get trained to be jet mechanic or some sort of thing. My mother talked me into going to college, and of course, I got into a top 25 university, so I'm not some sort of dummy.
On Uncle Sam's dollar, with an ROTC scholarship and some jobs to pay the living expenses, I got two degrees. I had to pay for that extra semester to get the second degree, but it does attract the attention of those looking at my resume.
But I really like making things work, and I've returned to that, while still using much of what I've learned in school years ago.
If nothing else, I learned how to learn and apply knowledge quickly.