did your parents tell you to stay away from blue collar jobs ?

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    • Seen Jun 24, 2019
    Many parents especially in third world countries want to send their kids to college in order to avoid
    doing physical labor job ( blue collar job).
     
    My parents stressed the importance of getting a good education (at least through college, though I always got the impression that some degree of graduate training was expected), and the assumption was that my education would ultimately prepare me for my career. Since college and graduate education isn't a prerequisite for most blue collar jobs, the assumption was therefore that I would have some sort of white collar career. I don't think my parents would have taken it too well if I had decided to become a manual laborer after many years of education and effort (not that there's anything wrong with manual labor, and I know a lot of people who are very happy with blue collar careers, but I think my family would have viewed such a choice as not living up to my "potential").
     
    Excluding the third-world aspect here, I can see parents trying to steer their children away from manufacturing. That ship has sailed and will only get worse here, not better. You would want something for your children that supports future opportunities. That's not manufacturing.

    But service jobs. Or more hands-on jobs are great. You can make a lot as a contractor or a plumber or whatever that physical labour intensive. Go do an apprenticeship and learn a trade. Don't need to do college or university in that instance.
     
    Now this is actually a reasonable topic at hand.

    It's true that one's parents would like to provide their offspring a better life than what they've got right now. Even though college is a shot towards that life, keep in mind that the cost to enroll is pretty high, & the penalties for failure are very stiff. Thus, college & other forms of advanced education might not be worth it unless they know what they want to be beforehand.

    Also, even after you manage to finish, a degree isn't the be-all, end-all for employment, & thus won't guarantee them a spot in the position that they desire. Chances are, the requirements for said position will ask for more than just a degree - more likely it'll require overall work experience during the time in the workforce. Hell, there might not even be any sort of demand for whatever profession that the person is dabbling in. If that's the case, they might not have any other choice than to go for blue collar work. If that's the case, that degree the person has worked so hard for, is about as much worth as a piece of toilet paper.

    It's the sad, unfortunate truth about this society & world as a whole...
     
    I was raised on a farm. By the time I was old enough to help on jobs, they had moved on to landscaping and tree removal, and oh, I had to go on jobs with them. Taught me the basics of various aspects of construction, too. And as of more recently, they were totally supportive of my decision to take up gunsmithing.

    So that's a "no" for my parents. :P Fortunately for me, my parents never tried to push me into any particular career. They've always been part of the, "Just do what makes you happy" club, which is why I've spent the last 5 years dipping my toes into different pools until I find one that I like.

    My father does tell me that he regrets working with his back his whole life, and that if I can work with my brain instead of my back, it'd be a little more ideal, lol. But they don't push for it. And even like Triforce mentioned, some of them pay damn good. I paid a lady $500 to put some mortar and tile on my bathroom wall for my shower. She was only here three or four different days for about 2 hours each time. There's about $60/hr. She did a beautiful job and I don't regret hiring someone to do the wall after we did the floor, but it made me wonder why I don't do that for a living, haha.
     
    Yes. They'll support me wherever I go, even if I do want to work in a factory or spend my life as ____ with small pay, but they have encouraged me to aim higher. I want to get a good job outside their encouragement anyway, so factory work and that of sorts isn't really an aim of mine anyway. Although if I absolutely had to work a "blue collar" job, then I wouldn't mind.
     
    As someone who has been through university and is now working, I'm going to throw in my two cents.

    I think the focus on blue collar versus white collar is a silly approach to determining what to do with your career. There are many things that you need to consider, including:
    - Where the skills shortages are
    - Which industries are saturated
    - What your current skills and interests are

    What's the point of going to university and accruing a debt if it doesn't lead to employment? A degree does not guarantee employment.

    You should consider your end goal and research what is required to get there. A university degree isn't needed for many jobs that pay well.

    Another thing to consider is the potential for redundancy. Many information/knowledge based jobs that don't require you to be in any particular place to do your job are more prone to being outsourced.

    Before you make a decision talk to recent graduates and people in the industry you have your eye on to work out what it's actually like out there.
     
    My mom never had to encourage me away from hard labor jobs because I avoided all labor of all kinds and still do. When I wanted to be an author though she didn't try to tell me not to bother, and when I switched to an English major she didn't say anything.
     
    Pretty sure mine always wanted me to go for a "better" job, although they never actively discouraged me from any kind of job. Although there was a small bit of disdain expressed for lower-end jobs, there was never any move to stop me regardless.

    The one exception to this is...working at a gas station, apparently. I still remember my dad telling me he didn't want me working at one of those because they "get robbed too much." Or something along those lines. Most likely just him being worried about my safety.
     
    I just realised that I forgot to address the main question of the thread. My dad is a high school dropout and my mum is a university drop out so they never put any kind of pressure on me. I think it was good that way. I was free to decide what I wanted to do without any judgment or forced expectations.

    I'm also the first person in my known family to be a Dr, PhD or otherwise.
     
    When I have children, I will actively encourage them to, while they're young, get their first job doing hard, manual labor. I feel it sets you up for success in the long run, because those kinds of jobs are usually a lot more draining on you than ones that you're more likely to enjoy, especially if you go after something that you're passionate about. You'll create a strong work ethic if you take it seriously that will last you your entire lifetime, and you'll essentially check your privilege often which will keep you level headed.

    I will want them to aim higher than that, because living off of a paycheck from manual labor is very hard to do. I grew up with a family who consisted of entirely of blue collar workers, bar my grandfather who is the only person I can think of in my family that has had a white collar job. Besides my great aunt, who is a distant relative. It was hard. And because of that, I automatically aim for a better place in life where I don't have to struggle for the things in life that are a necessity that I can't afford because I don't make enough to support myself.
     
    My parents never really told me college was an option, it was mandatory. It always confused me when people told me that I was almost done when I was close to graduating high school. I mean, I still had at least four more years ahead of me, right?

    Well, it didn't turn out that way. I dropped out of college and consciously made the decision to heavily limit my potential job pool, but I had no idea why I was going to college, so I feel like it was the best choice. My parents were initially very disappointed, but they realized that I'm a lot happier out of college, so now they say that they're proud that I was able to take charge and change my life for the better.
     
    Patchisou Yutohru said:
    When I have children, I will actively encourage them to, while they're young, get their first job doing hard, manual labor. I feel it sets you up for success in the long run, because those kinds of jobs are usually a lot more draining on you than ones that you're more likely to enjoy, especially if you go after something that you're passionate about. You'll create a strong work ethic if you take it seriously that will last you your entire lifetime, and you'll essentially check your privilege often which will keep you level headed.

    I will want them to aim higher than that, because living off of a paycheck from manual labor is very hard to do. I grew up with a family who consisted of entirely of blue collar workers, bar my grandfather who is the only person I can think of in my family that has had a white collar job. Besides my great aunt, who is a distant relative. It was hard. And because of that, I automatically aim for a better place in life where I don't have to struggle for the things in life that are a necessity that I can't afford because I don't make enough to support myself.
    Click to expand...

    I feel like I should have gone a little deeper to mention this side of it, too. Growing up doing a lot of manual labor for little income makes you not want to do it -- at least, not the same exact job with the same ****** pay.

    My grandparents on one side and my great-grandparents on the other came to the US from Poland. And then it became all about farming. Everyone tended to the farms. When the children moved out, many of them kept on farming.
    Some of them were a lot more successful; my cousins have a contract with Welch's. Some of us, not quite so much. My parents have always just barely had our heads above water.

    Either way, I don't ever want to see another farm as long as I live. {XD}
     
    They tried to but I was young, stupid and naive and didn't pay any attention. Now I'm a labourer and it's hard work for not very good money. Which is why I'm going back to school!
     
    Nah my parents never said anything as long as I had a job. I worked in a kitchen and now I have a have a slightly better job, and I have no college degree. There really is a decent amount of mobility within the job sector if you put yourself in the right place. Screw McDonald's or Walmart. Get a job in a nursing home, or a kitchen, and work your way up to a better paying job. Obviously you will not be the CEO unless you demonstrate unreasonable prowess within the field, but you can live comfortably.
     
    I think they expected me to figure it out myself, which I did. I'm bad at physical things. All of them. Look at my marks last semester.

    Japanese - A
    Latin - A
    Science - A
    Math - A
    Geography - A
    Religion - A
    Music - A

    English - B
    PE - B
    Art - B
    Tech - B

    See a pattern there?

    Basically, as I stated before, anything that involves using anything other than my brain doesn't work out. I told my parents I wouldn't do those jobs, not the other way around. And I think they're pretty happy with it.
     
    No, I did. My parents gave little if any guidance on how to succeed in life, so I decided for myself that I'm worth more than that. All I'm waiting on is emancipation to prove it.
     
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