<p>My sons are both going off to college in about five weeks. </p>
<p>Yet when they were younger I was concerned because my mom (who will be helping them with some of their college funding) always declared that if they didn’t go to college she wasn’t interested in helping them with money. What worried me was that one of my sons might want to do something more blue collar…which would have been fine with me…but would have been discouraged from doing so by their grandmother. (As things are I’ve had to defend their choices of career quite a bit already…artist and video game designer!)</p>
<p>My husband was discouraged, way back when, from going into the field he wanted (auto mechanic) because he was ‘too smart’ for that. Instead he was encouraged to go into a field he had absolutely NO interest in (that was still something of a blue collar type thing though)…eventually dropped out…never did get a degree in anything. He’s now a relatively content cabinetmaker. Not really his first choice of jobs, but a very close second. He is the absolute textbook example of a self-made man.</p>
<p>I don’t think people look down on blue-collar jobs, but again, this is a college forum. That said, there are certain cultures where moving from trade positions to positions requiring a college degree are seen as upward mobility regardless of “salary.” Look at this kids on these forums whose immigrant parents are only supportive of engineering or medicine which in the past were the “go-to” jobs for the professional brass ring and positions that actually have decreasing or depressing income potential. The irony is that if you base upward mobility solely on salary the concept of blue collar can be a huge falacy and the concept of “blue collar” does not encompass only entry level minimum wage labor jobs. The unions also play into this and historically certain union jobs had wage packages very similar to traditional middle management “white collar” jobs which created white vs. blue animosity. How our economy plays out will impact this now. What do you call jobs such as real estate agents, building officials, small business owners and other white collar jobs that do not necessarily require a college degree? Many here have mentioned art or MT…careers where a college degree is not necessary and often obtained as a “back up plan.” These types of people are “professional” and “white collar” so “blue-collar” is not necessarily defined by a college degree, either. Finally the lines are blurred because colleges and unis grant degrees in fields that thirty years ago were apprenticed job/technical-specialist careers or did not require degrees… Not mentioned here are the “pink collar” jobs. My friend has a daughter who left college because she finally decided to pursue cosmetology, something she had always wanted to do, but was disuaded originally by her college educated parents. She has been a few years completed and quite successful to the enjoyment of her parents. Blue collar means different things to different people. Most would equate the term to laborer positions, but the lines have become quite blurred over time.</p>
<p>I haven’t followed this entire thread but I noted something and spoke about it once. My family would often vacation in Ontario. Something I noticed in many service jobs (server at Tim Horton’s, McDonald’s etc) were occupied by middle-age white men and women who seemed extremely content with their jobs. I mentioned this to a friend who often travelled to Toronto for work and he said that the same crew at the McDonald’s near his hotel was there for several years.</p>
<p>Canada and Europe seem not to be as fixated on occupational titles and earning as much as Americans do. In a speech to a group I said: “If you saw ME serving you from behind the Wendy’s counter (I’m a 43 yr old Chinese male), I’ll bet you would think ‘He better be the owner of this Wendy’s or he’s a loser!!!’”</p>
<p>Admit it folks. Everyday we make these snap judgments on others (and indeed, ourselves) because of one’s profession. I have a degree from my HYP alma mater, but have worked in the NFP sector most of my adult life. People around me are glad to have their HS diplomas. As a society, we’ve been trained to quickly filter into a “good” category and a “bad” category people based on their earnings/occupation. It doesn’t need to be such.</p>
<p>It’s not “fashionable” or “prestigious” to think that blue-collar trades are somehow inferior or below. No one who truly is worth anything thinks that way. The only people who do are insecure wannabes. Part of reaching the upper echelons in society is a sense of confidence about oneself and therefore not having to put down the plumber, electrician, etc.</p>
<p>Figment of OP’s mind to stir the CC pot. Who doesn’t respect people who are efficient and an expert in their chosen field? OP has to remember high schoolers have immature opinions and lofty ideas of their future, not based on life experience and reality.</p>
<p>There are “intellectual snobs” everywhere. Some are “smart enough” to keep their mouths shut…others, not so much, although I think it is far more prevailing among the youngish. Look at the younger end of the spectrum on these forums…kids who determine their entire worth based on their GPAs and test scores which are just a blip on their lifeline. Kids who put down other kids they deem unworthy that may very well end up their bosses someday. Many of those spout-offs will become florists, government workers, real estate agents, writers, massage therapists, shopowners and dozens of other jobs that may or may not actually require a college degree. Perhaps that is what the OP is referencing…the attitude of the kids here. And I agree, Pizzagirl, that it a sense of confidence that differentiates… I have to admit that I think once in a while it’s the confidence, or lack thereof, of the parent that creates the situation more than the kid.</p>
<p>This may have been the case back in 2005, but it’s 2009 now and anyone with any job at all is held in the highest esteem, especially if that job is not on Wall Street.</p>
<p>(Always amazes me when an antique thread is dug up for no apparent reason)</p>
<p>Last week I posted to a thread that hadn’t been active in about three years. To my surprise, the OP himself wrote back. It sure wasn’t a waste of my time.</p>
<p>Agree, some topics come up infrequently, others ad nauseum. There has been a spate of “my parents won’t pay for college unless I become a blah, blah blah” lately and “I can’t afford college” so it’s a topic that bears repeating. There is life without a college degree and while this is a college forum…life looks differently in 2010 than it did in 2005.</p>