Another moral here is: you were seeing him as less clever and less successful because he was "just" a welder.
A skilled craftsman who understands what he is doing, understands a bit of the market and the chances available to him can run circles around any struggling internet startup, if only because the equipment and training needed are typically not as easy to come by as a Rails or AJAX or web handbook.
As a full-time software developer who recently took a three-month intro course to welding, I can certainly take this moral to heart. Good welders (and other craftsmen) are able to successfully channel years of knowledge and experience through their eyes, wrists and fingertips, balancing an incredible amount of variables to end up with a good product in a short amount of time. They can also make pretty good money.
After my experience, I've tried to apply the lessons I learned from welding to my full-time job, and I've become a better developer as a result. "Measure twice, cut once" is a mantra that should apply to every field. At the same time, it's easier now to recognize when something isn't done right and it's time to refactor or rewrite. Good welders, like good developers, do it right the first time :)
A skilled craftsman who understands what he is doing, understands a bit of the market and the chances available to him can run circles around any struggling internet startup, if only because the equipment and training needed are typically not as easy to come by as a Rails or AJAX or web handbook.