[TheRealVille]

So, if you still do work similar to this, wouldn't the future of your job independently ride on the coal industry's destiny?

Not really. Whatever kind of energy might come along in the future, if coal dies, has to have the same piping systems to make it work. I do the same type of job in power plants, refineries, hospitals, schools, chemical plants, pharmaceutical plants, or nuclear power plants. Anything that has piping. I just finished a job for Patriot Coal, building a water treatment plant to clean selenium out of their ponds.