I remember reading somewhere a passage that asserted that not adhering to guilds was exactly why the United States came to lead in the steel industry. I think it was Carnegie that liked to hire US farmers to work in his steel mills. The idea was that the Brits who came over lead in steel technology and having guilds that barred entry into the field tended to keep things to themselves. They were rather decided about how things were to be done. The farm boys being "more pragmatic" with "no given set of steel working skills" were quick to grasp whatever worked. In a time of new developments and opportunity it proved to be an advantage.