A Blue-collar job was a path to the middle class in the 50s and 60s, however by the 90s and early 2000s, the big focus was on business career. The desire was for an office job, and the perception was that a white collar job equaled a “good” career. Somehow, the stereotype about blue collar careers placed them beneath white collar ones and they were somehow less desirable. The simple reality is that on average, skilled blue collar workers make as much as white collar works and a blue collar career offers a lot of benefits and rewards. Blue collar careers are not beneath white collar ones and here are five good reason why:
1. Trade School: Cheaper & Shorter
One of the biggest benefits to working in the skilled trades is the education required. While there are many positives to going to four years of school for a bachelor’s degree, there are also a few big negatives, including cost. Since 1990, tuition costs have risen over 300%, creating a product that has become unaffordable. Because of that, about 2/3 of students with bachelor’s degrees are leaving college with debt that average $26,000 per student. That’ll make for a $300 monthly payment for a decade. All in all, your average bachelor’s degree is likely going to cost you over $100,000 — closer to $150k if completely financed through loans.
The vast majority of training programs for the skilled trades, on the other hand, last from 6 months to 2 years, and will cost just over $30,000. So students at 4-year colleges are spending an extra 2-3 years in school, paying tens of thousands per year, while the tradesman is already graduated and earning money, and in some cases, making six figures as a 21-year-old.
2. Compensation: Trades Jobs Are Well-Paying
Even those who are concerned about the hefty price tag of college still feel that while the cost may be high, it’s always worth it, since it will increase their lifetime earning potential.
This worry over compensation definitely looms large in holding teenagers back from considering trade work. And while money is not the most salient factor in determining career, it is certainly important. The assumption is that the income ceiling is higher for while collar work than it is for blue collar. And frankly, in an absolute sense, that’s true. Those who are pulling in a million a year aren’t tradesman; the vast majority are college graduates. But there very wealthy individuals represent a minuscule percentage of the workforce.
If we look at averages, which is where most of us are and will be in terms of our career, white collar folks come in at $1,000 more per year. Over the course of a 40-year career, that ends up as a fair amount of money. But when you factor in college costs, plus a few more years in the workforce, that difference actually begins to favor the blue collar worker.
3. Job Security: The Skilled Trades Can’t Be Outsourced
In our new economy, complete job security just doesn’t exist. Anything can happen to any company, and you can be let go. But some jobs are a lot more secure than others. While the world many not always need bloggers, it will always need mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welders, etc. The roads and bridges in this country will always be built here. Our skyscraper projects won’t be constructed in France and shipped over.
4. Availability: There Are Plenty of Jobs For the Taking
Trades jobs are not only very secure, there’s a whole lot of openings for them as well. American has a skills gap – more jobs available than workers who are trained and able to take those jobs. For the blue collar worker, there are jobs to be had. They may not be in your city of choice, but that’s a reality faced by much more than just tradesmen. Certain industries flock to certain geographical regions, so to be successful you may have to move. For the blue collar worker, there are jobs to be had. They may not be in your city of choice, but that’s a reality faced by much more than just tradesmen. Certain industries flock to certain geographical regions, so to be successful you may have to move.
In fact, in just the next two years, an expected 2.5 million middle-skill jobs (those that require less than a bachelor’s degree but more than a high school diploma) will be added to the workforce, accounting for an incredible 40% of all job growth. The city of Houston alone is expected to add 100,000 jobs in that same time period. North Dakota is in the midst of a petroleum boom, requiring not just oil/gas tradesman, but also electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc. to build up the infrastructure. Atlanta has a booming film industry that employs almost 80,000 people, with many more needed for the technical aspects like setting up lighting and sound, set construction, etc.
5. Intangibles: The Satisfaction of Blue Collar Work
In 2012, being able to use your skills and abilities, became the number one factor in overall job satisfaction. Do you want to spend 40 years of your life bored and dissatisfied for most of your day? Obviously not. But that’s what 70% of Americans feel at work, with highly educated people actually being more likely to be disengaged with their workplace.
While boredom can obviously happen at any job, the tradesman who’s working with his hands all day simply has less opportunity for disengagement, as boredom at work often happens when there just isn’t enough to do. Idleness is not often a problem for the blue collar person.
Other intangibles to be mentioned are things like autonomy at work and work/life balance. Another factor is simply the satisfaction that can come from doing something tangible and concrete with your time. Fixing things, building things, seeing the actual, physical fruit of your labor; this if often far more personally fulfilling than spending 8 hours on an Excel spreadsheet.
For too long the skilled trades have been neglected as not having any benefits. Thankfully, the tide is turning, and people are starting to see that blue collar work offers some real advantages over while collar work. There are jobs available, pay is good, job security is excellent, and the satisfaction may be greater than being in the information industry.
