troy,
not quite as old as you but I did own a set of kraco speakers at one stage.
I went through MECP when they started it. there were still kids then that wanted the dream but not the workload. things never really change on that side of it. I still get 1-2 people a month asking me for a job with little prior knowledge.
to be honest I see this industry doing what the housing industry did.back in the late 80s. there were so many builders at one point that 'natural selection' (for lack of a better term) weeded out most of the crap ones whilst hurting the good ones. those that survived are now doing well and can charge for their experience. with technology going the way it is there will always be a need for a good auto sparky and if there is one that understands sound then even better. the average joe doesnt know half the technology in todays cars - as long as it starts , radio plays , and it drives they are happy. (though they bitch when their favorite new gizmo wont plug into it!)
if everyone would actually see that specialists charge a price for a reason then half this crap would be gone in my opinion. hell the $4.4k scan tool I have is a must in my daily routine. that has to be paid for in some way shape or form