re: Blue Collar vs White Collar work

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So many push blue collar but not every kid is cut out for the more physical labor and often extreme work condition temperatures.

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its always white collar guys that sit in AC everyday and weirdly day dream about being blue collar and working in the sun and not having to deal with office politics

and not one of them has ever worked 12 hour days in the LA summer but think they want do it everyday

My personal experience is I went to LSU FAFO lost tops so had to get a job as a roustabout / rough neck in GOM. Went back and forth between working on a drilling rig as a hand and taking engineering courses at LSU. While going to school taking a semester or year off to work was a nice break but it became clear that working on the rigs was not going to be fulfilling to me mentally. If it was just about the money it would have been better for me to just continue working on the rigs but I wanted more.

Having done both I don't think there is anything wrong with either path its just up to the individual as to what they want out of their career. That being said it is a lot to ask of a 18 year old, see my previous statement about FAFO.

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The problem with white collar work is you have to be good at the work politics too to advance high. Or job hop every few years, which creates instability.

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The thing with white collar work is that you can make pretty good money without even having to move up, if you don’t want to (obviously this is field dependent).

“how the hell are you supposed to know what you want to do for the rest of your life when you’re 18”

In high school I thought I wanted to be a heavy equipment operator or a policeman.
Went in the Navy,trained as E.O.,last 2 years I spent in Shore Patrol(Navy’s Military Police in Rota Spain)
Had to go to E.R. a lot in Spain,say if we whacked someone with a night stick,or sailors in wrecks,etc.
Male nurse(Lieutenant) was in charge of E.R.Talked to him a good bit.

When I got out I went to work running an earthmover,lasted 2 weeks and said frick this ,quit and went and signed up for nursing school.

I found out running a machine in the private sector wasn’t nearly as much fun as in the Navy,Navy wasn’t trying to make a profit.
Police work in the Navy wasn’t that great either,I hated dealing with wrecks.Seemed like it was always when it was raining or it was hot as hell out on the pavement for an hour or two.

Never regretted being a nurse,very interesting and fulfilling job.AC in the summer,heat in the winter.

Live out in the country,have 3 tractors,1 with FEL,1 with grapple,1 with bushhog so I get to scratch that itch.

In high school being a nurse was never on my mind.

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His stepfather is blue collar and very influential in his life and has been pushing him to go into the trades saying that blue Collar work is more noble and implying he would be less of a man if he went to college or worked in a white Collar job.

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Do I wish I could fix things and do handyman stuff as much as my blue collar dad? Absolutely.

Do I enjoy the lifestyle and less taxing toll on my body that comes with my white collar career? Absolutely.

The happiest people I know are self-employed. Doesn't matter if they are plumbers or architects, lawyers or lawn care professionals. Not saying they have an easier road to hoe; self-employment bringing its own unique and daunting challenges. But they all seem to love their situation. I don't think there is any benefit to claiming one collar color over the other. Besides, one's measure as a man shouldn't be dependent on one's profession.

Needs to be a little deeper than that, no?

The trades are always waiting for you at 22, traditional college only gets harder and harder after 22, balancing bills, work, and a family. I always think it’s a good idea to push college for 18-22 if your children show that they can can succeed in a college setting and you can financially afford it, but don’t close the door for them on the trades, let them know it’s always an option, and won’t regret that diploma they received at 22 when they are 42 applying for upper positions in the trades that are gatekept by a Diploma check box.

My son was leaning away from college, after his junior year in HS his grades weren't great, he was hanging around with skateboarders, they were OK kids, but their idea of planning for the future, was to get a skateboard company to sponsor them. So, I got him a summer job in construction, by August he went back to school, asked to get back into the gifted program, and made a 4.0 his senior year. He went to LSU in the fall.

Every kid has to find their own path, blue collar is great for some, in BR there are a lot of very wealthy Exxon retirees who were plant operators. Look at all the trucks of plumbers, electricians, landscapers.

Unfortunately, many women don't have as many options as men do.

IMO, he should at minimum go to college to build up some science based prerequisites. I've known people that were on the pathway to engineering that became physicians. Why? Because they discovered that they didn't really like engineering and enjoyed the idea of healthcare.

I think every young person should pursue an education first. Right of the gate. It'll expand their horizon. If they aren't academically inclined, then they'll discover that pretty quickly. It sounds like your nephew can do whatever he wants. He should aim high and see where it takes him.