I am a good installer, so I hired myself =0) Been doing it for 6 yrs now. Started supporting all the local sign shops, got so busy I had to convince my dad to retire from the postal service and work for me. Now I'm grooming my son an nephew! Fully agree with going outside the industry. I started life as a mechanic.
I love being an installer because no one is ever sad to see the sign guy show up and get to work bringing their business to life! After getting a look into the back door of several sign companies I see the issues they face and feel for them....but I also see some self inflicted wounds. Installers tend to be the end of the whip and have to make up for all of the timing issues through out the project. Its hard to want to work hard when your not set up for success. There are a few sign companies with killer processes (sales all the way through end of project fully mapped out) and have seen great success with hiring, training and retaining sign installers.