How to learn... plumbing

I don't know how many of you wanted to become a plumber when they were young but I certainly didn't. Leaky pipes, smelly holes and all the unpleasant work they evoked were not in my life script. I have since then reconciled myself with that lowly but so vital undertaking, not so much out of idealism, but of sheer necessity. My last foray is the plumbing world was two days ago when I set to repair a sink pop-up stopper and almost went crazy curled up inside a small cabinet underneath the sink. What started like a minor intervention ended up becoming a full-day project, something like Hank Paulson saving Bear Stearns. My face got red, I could hardly see what I was doing, swore a lot, took two trips to Home Depot and Standard Plumbing Supply, but in the end prevailed and can now tell you how a “sink pop-up stopper” really should work... or not, if you ever cared to know!