Is this really the case? Growing up, my family did pretty much all of their own plumbing/carpentry/electrical work, so I'm kind of surprised that that's not the norm. Its honestly not that hard to figure out, and its also pretty easy to make sure that messing up doesn't do any long-term damage.
The extreme of this was when we spent a year or so finishing our basement; everything from framing to wiring/plumbing to painting was done on weekends by us. I wouldn't say that I "know" any of those trades, but I know how to look up instructions on the internet or ask someone at Home Depot.
I think that you are not the norm. I feel that I am a pretty smart guy, and I know how to do good, in depth research on the Internet. But I have to say, I got a lot of cringing looks from my girlfriends family when they first saw me using a chainsaw with an iPad propped up next to me with instructions on proper chainsaw operation techniques display displayed next to me.
There is data, there is information, there is knowledge, there is experience. And then there is wisdom.
The extreme of this was when we spent a year or so finishing our basement; everything from framing to wiring/plumbing to painting was done on weekends by us. I wouldn't say that I "know" any of those trades, but I know how to look up instructions on the internet or ask someone at Home Depot.