In my opinion and its just that, any jobs which would provide a decent income require you to have a period of study which results in little or no pay for a substantial amount of time. The problem with shop work is that pretty much anybody can do it, I'm sure your partner is very good at what he does but the difference in profit he can make for his store, in the eyes of his employers, is not that vast compared with any monkey off the street. Please dont think I'm being direspectfull as I'm not I spent 8 years working in a shop and know how many intelligent people there are in shops virtually wasting away (I was one of them). My only thought would be to open his own hifi shop, therefore his skill at selling would reflect directly to his efforts and talents. He maybe could try and supplement his income by writing reviews on Hifi products for the Hifi magazines and this maybe could lead into a career in magazines. Alternatively he could see if he could get a job at such a magazine, I'm sure his experience would be valued.