Tough question, and a lot depends on what you see yourself doing for potentially the rest of your life. I don't think the concern should be what position would be the one to go last, but rather what job you would love to do day in day out.

There are a lot more body men and wrench turners out there than qualified upholstery guys. We had to go 70 miles outside of our area to find one because the ones in this area are more suited to replacing headliners and carpeting in stock automobiles than custom/creative work. So that might be a factor in your ability to find employment. I would also think that a guy with those skills would need very little investment to set up his own shop. The guy who did our interiors has the right idea.........he works out of his home garage, has a following of loyal repeat customers, and stays booked year round. He also insists on cash, no credit cards or checks, and gets 50% up front before he begins.

Just a thought.

Don