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As a person who would be considered a blue collar worker (Master Pipe Fitter & Millwright/Welder),I thought I'd give a little insight into my feelings about the trades rather than a literal definition. Having worked all but four years (military service) of my life in construction,clawing my way up from a lowly welder (a skill I learned in high school) to a master & foreman in two different but related construction trades, I wonder who is going to be building the world in the next few generations. The younger generation doesn't seem interested in hard work, even less interested in exhibiting attributes like quality & pride of accomplishment,when technology has a constant open call. I suppose I cant blame them. After all, when faced with the option of sweating in the hot sun/ freezing in the cold rain to build a power plant,etc. or sitting in an office (be it at home or a cubicle beside 20 others) with climate control & "spell check" the choice would be a "no brainer."
Education these days seems to be geared more towards computer use/programming,& less toward vocational studies. Those that fail to show the aptitude for these positions are content to flip burgers (in my opinion a less than "blue collar" endeavor) and they don't even have the luxury of entry-level manufacturing positions as automation is taking the person out of "widget making" (believe me,I know..I'm the guy installing the robots).
So to me,to be a blue collar worker means being a dinosaur,an endangered species,if you will, that seems destined to go the way of the buffalo.

Learn more about this author, Walt Crippen.
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