Blue Collar

Some may think of blue collar jobs as inferior to those considered “white collar,” but if you think about the social worker or school teacher with mountains of student debt, a blue collar profession looks...pretty attractive. Plus, there is getting to be a real shortage of construction workers, plumbers, machinists, electricians, etc.

The expression started in the 1920s, when those doing physical labor tended to wear uniforms of dark colors to hide the dirt, as opposed to those wearing white shirts and ties while toiling away in an office.

An upper level white collar worker generally gets a yearly salary, while a blue collar worker is typically paid by the hour. Not that they always make less than those in white collar professions, or that they don't need a high level of training. Many make well over $60,000 to $70,000 as elevator installers, optics machinists, nuclear power plant techniciansm and subway operators—more than most recent college graduates. And with overtime, it can be much more.

So the next time you have to make 10 calls to find someone to come over and repair a sink, or you cry over a large college tuition payment, take a moment to silently give thanks to the blue collar workers in your life.