Is there anything wrong with honest, hard work? Are blue collar jobs really so bad?
As we’re getting ready to head off for our missions trip to Kenya next week, I’ve been looking over some older articles to rerun that I think are worth talking about again.
Here’s a column I wrote about 6 years ago about the value of hard work–and how we’re often telling our kids to aim for the wrong professions. As the school year begins again, maybe this is worth revisiting!
Lately our family’s soundtrack has been country music. Perhaps it’s because there’s a group of teenage boys that my daughters hang out with who listen to country, but for whatever reason my girls have started downloading country songs off of iTunes. And one of the ones they love is Montgomery Gentry’s “That’s Something to Be Proud of.”
It bears no resemblance to anything Taylor Swift would sing, so it seems like a surprising choice. It’s a song for guys, and the first verse, about losing your brother in the war, always makes me tear up. But it’s the second verse that seems to be the reason for the download. It says:
“You don’t need to make a million, Just be thankful to be workin’. If you’re doing what you’re able, and putting food there on the table, and providing for the family that you love, that’s something to be proud of.”
I think it resonates because our culture no longer takes pride in living an ordinary life.
My girls and their friends are obsessing over their futures: What should I take in school? What business can I start? What do I want to do with the rest of my life? And the message they get, over and over, is aim for success!
What if that’s the wrong message? Too many people are aiming for the virtually impossible. They want to have a high paying job where they love their work but have short hours. They want to be famous. They want things easy.
Life, however, rarely works like that. Most who do eventually earn great success do so only after putting in their time in the trenches. But let’s not forget that the time in the trenches is not just a means to an end; like Montgomery Gentry sings, it’s something to be proud of, even if you never rise that far above it.
What’s wrong with earning an honest living?
What’s wrong with working hard, putting in an effort, and slowly but surely building up a small nest egg? You may not take a cruise every year, or have a collection of shoes, or buy each new iPhone that comes out, but it can still be a very rewarding life. Everything you have you worked for. Maybe, instead of telling kids to aim for a life of massive success and leisure, we should be espousing the virtues of aiming lower.
We talk down honest work too much. We tell girls who want to be nurses’ aides to be doctors instead. We tell boys who just want to work with their hands that they need a university degree. We tell kids that they should aim for a life where they’ll be rich and don’t have to get dirty. No wonder so many people think simple work is beneath them!
The Brookings Institute recently found three things that virtually guaranteed you would never be poor: graduate from high school; don’t get married until you’re 21, and only have children after you’re married; and take a full-time job—any full-time job. Do those three things and you have a 2% chance of being poor and a 74% chance of being in the middle class.
You may begin at minimum wage, but work hard and you’ll work your way up.
You’ll be able to save for a small house, put food on the table, and buy a few luxuries. Aiming lower may not be glamorous, but it’s still something to be proud of.
What do you think? Do we denigrate hard work too much? Let’s talk in the comments!
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Sheila Wray Gregoire has been married for 25 years and happily married for 20! She loves traveling around North America with her hubby in their RV, giving her signature "Girl Talk" about sex and marriage. And she's written 8 books. About sex and marriage. See a theme here? Plus she knits. Even in line at the grocery store.
Is it even accurate to call blue-collar ‘aiming lower’? Many blue-collar jobs are quite lucrative, they just take more physical energy than the white-collar set. I always said that if I had sons (I’m 34 with 4 daughters and one tubal ligation so unlikely), I would encourage them to take the welding class through Education for Employment in high school, where one can graduate from high school with a certification to be a welder and a $70k job lined up, because it’s a well-paying job and they are always in need of more of people to do it. If anything, in my opinion blue-collar is aiming realistically and aiming smart, because people will always need plumbers, electricians, car mechanics, and so on, and unfortunately (?) there is not a huge market for gender studies and art history majors out there.
We will highly encourage/require our daughters to become skilled in something that people will pay money for, whether certification, degree, or otherwise; and since they’re young, we haven’t talked about it a ton yet, but the conversation will definitely be along the lines of, what can you do that is reasonably lucrative, that you reasonably enjoy, that there is a demand for, and that isn’t going to put you into debtors’ prison to obtain.
That’s what I think, too–we need to realize that blue-collar jobs are often MORE lucrative than the jobs university graduates get!
I agree, Jessica. Definitely not aiming lower! My hubs is an electrician, and I’m a college graduate. Our pay is essentially equal, but he gets lots of overtime and makes more. Now, his work is significantly harder than my desk job, but I’m proud of him every day.
One of my coworkers said just yesterday we need to be thinking about saving for college for our little one (coming November), and I said she may not go to college. College is all I knew growing up, but it’s not for everyone. Trades are so important and so neglected–around here, any tradesman could get a job anywhere. ESPECIALLY if they’re good workers. My poor husband basically babysits all day, and I can’t tell you how frustrating it is for him to not have any good workers who take pride in their work.
That’s what I want to teach my little one–do your best, no matter what. You are working for God, and He’s the only who gave you the ability to do whatever it is you’re doing!
Other thoughts: The problem, of course, with blue-collar v white-collar is that my husband can stay in his white-collar desk job for his entire career as long as he stays current in technology trends, and many blue-collar workers eventually have to stop due to the physical demands on their bodies. But, if they are able to get certified in the trade and then an associate’s in business or management, there are entrepreneurial capacities also, which one can do when one’s body is no longer allowing them to be crawling under people’s sinks.
I am fond of my husband’s low stress desk job, and I’m not saying blue-collar is the solution to the job crisis in America or whatever, but like Mike Rowe is always saying, we’ve got to get rid of this stigma that blue-collar jobs are somehow “less than”.
Jessica, that’s really my point exactly! We think of these things as “aiming lower”, but are they really? I think many who go to trade schools will end up making more than those who go to university. And owning your own business is often more lucrative than working for someone else, and you don’t need a university degree to own your own business. I think we all need to stop dreaming huge dreams for our kids that have the terms “doctor” or “lawyer” attached to them, and let our kids develop skills that can serve them well!
A brief anecdote: When my eldest graduated high school a couple of years ago, one of his classes held a separate completion banquet, during which each student got a certificate and announced where he or she would be attending in the fall. Being in California, most of the students were attending either a UC or CSU school. One lad stood and said, proudly, that he was going to be in the rare percent who don’t go to university, opting for welding school instead. I sat back in my chair and thought, “He’s going to be employed for life.”
What we often forget is that just because you study or become one thing first, doesn’t mean you can’t change later on. I have a cousin who is very smart and could’ve gone to university right out of high school but for whatever reason he declined and went on to become a mechanic. Fast forward to his mid-20s and he realized, yes, I really do want to be an engineer, so now he’s 3/4 the way through his degree. A trade allowed him to earn a good living in the mean time. It could’ve been a lifelong career, but it also made a good stepping stone.
I know lots of people who have done that, too. And the nice thing is it gives them a bit of an economic head start before they start the degree!
I think blue collar jobs are great – I think white collar jobs are great. However, I have talked to my kids about why you don’t want your forever job to be one where there is no skill differentiation – i.e. being a waiter. No matter how great of a waiter you are, there is always someone that can replace you. There are few benefits – no sick time – no vacation. Because the money can be good waiting tables, it can be hard to get that across. I’ve encouraged my kids to gain skills that make them more valuable to an employer to gain job security and benefits.
Great thoughts, Steph! And that’s what I’ve always said to my kids, too. Develop skills. Honestly, skills are more important than degrees! How many people do we know who get university degrees but then have to go back to college to get skills to actually get a job?
I’ve also never seen it as “aiming lower.” I am thankful that my dad modeled the honor of a good day’s work. He is a mechanic for a waste company. He works on garbage and recycling trucks. And has his entire life. Sometimes work is just that… work. It never occurred to me to see that as aiming low or settling for less.
I wonder if Christians sometimes feel like there is a job hierarchy, that pastors or missionaries have the highest calling, that good business is less important because it isn’t as gospel-centered, and manual labor is the lowest of the low. I think the “what” of work matters far less than the “how” or “why.” We can work to the glory of God whether we are changing diapers or replacing spark plugs!
Your last paragraph sounds rather accurate to me. My husband (who works in the banking industry and often says he uses absolutely nothing he learned in his degree) is constantly saying he doesn’t know what he can possibly do as a Christian that has an impact, other than tithing and trying to raise our boys to love Jesus, because he’s not a pastor and doesn’t have any of the “obvious” church service gifts, like music or anything of that sort.
Becky—
As the father of three boys myself, and holder of a white-collar job, I’m often niggled by the same thoughts as your husband: what am I doing as a Christian that has impact.
Then I look at my boys, who are 20, 17 & 14, none of whom has fallen away from the church. My eldest is at a Christian university, and my younger two prefer their church friends than their school friends.
And the white collar job allows me some economic freedom to be with them and nurture family time and unity. To this day, we basically still all have dinner together.
If your husband—and you—are raising your boys to love Jesus, guess what—you’re doing the work that has the greatest impact.
Oh, Kay, your last paragraph is so “on”! I’ve seen so many really bright young men go to unaccredited Bible colleges to be “worship pastors” because that’s how they can serve God, when they were bright enough to start their own business which could hire people (isn’t that serving the kingdom of God–providing jobs?), or become a doctor or engineer or something. But they think they have to serve God.
Seriously, one of the people I appreciate the most is the guy who owns the car place that we buy all of our cars from and get our service done. They are so honest and they always look out for us. And that’s invaluable. That’s a tremendous way to serve people.
We think of these jobs as “lower”, but they’re not. And as parents, I hope that we can help our kids to aim at what is best for them, rather than thinking, “my kid needs a degree to get a good job”, or “my kid needs to be a professional.” There are lots of important ways to earn an income!
I agree completely that blue collar or trade work is honorable work that needs to be considered as an option. However, I think the push away from that works comes as much from those in that work than anything else. I work on the white collar side of the construction industry. Our blue collar workers work long hours, are often out of town for weeks at a time and it is incredibly hard on their bodies. I know for a fact that many of our workers are pushing their own high school aged kids to get college degrees so they don’t have to end up doing that type of work. Yes, it pays well but they have sacrificed time with family and their bodies to make an living. They don’t regret making an honest living in blue collar work, they just don’t want the same for their children.
On the other hand is white collar workers who haven’t had the same experience and are seeing there is money to be made in the blue collar sector without the high cost of an education that may or may not yield a good paying job. Those people are now pushing their children towards trade work. I think the pendulum swings often depending on a families own experiences and every person has to figure out for themselves what is the right path for them. My prayer for my children has always been that they listen for God’s voice in their lives, learn to hear it and choose to obey it. That is what I want for my children blue collar or white collar.
Sheila,
Thanks for posting this. I believe there is a lot of truth in this, but the reality is that women, in a vast majority of situations, will not lower their status when choosing a husband. There are counter examples, but they are outliers.
Case and point: “Aiming Lower: Is Honest Hard Work So Bad?” assumes that your audience (primarily female) already thinks that blue collar work is beneath them.
I think that is shifting with my generation, actually! I’ve had a lot of friends in their early-mid twenties who are specifically looking for guys with trades and blue-collar since they’re dealing with the realities of those entry-level positions you get after university. One of my friends is dating a carpenter, another a guy who works for the sewage and waste department driving trucks! And they think it’s a super attractive quality to have steady employment and work hard.
I hope it continues to shift, too–we need more people going into trades, and they deserve a lot more praise than they’re given.
Thanks for the reply!
I really hope this trend continues. It is very reassuring to know that there are still grounded women out there!
Rebecca, in general, it is true. Women tend to not be interested in men who are in the trades. I have seen it first hand with a friend of mine who started his own plumbing business. They (women) hear “plumber” and lose interest. However, another friend of mine has a son who became a farrier. Dear lord, these women who own these stables and horses throw themselves at him.
I will say you are right, most women can find “blue collar” a turn off. I’m only speaking from experience.
A few months back I met a two guys who were both, in my mind, really awesome. One had a great personality and a great business degree and masters from a highly recognized university. The other one had a great sense of adventure and an incredible grip of the Word and the Gospel and all that fun spiritual stuff that makes us christian girls really giddy – I thought he was a Seminarian or something of the like, but it turns out he’s been working in construction ever since he was in high school so no college degree or anything, an absolute disappointment.
Who do you think I chose to date? The guy with the fancy degrees of course! I thought we had an equally impressive educational background. But here’s the next question? Am I still dating this guy? NO! Hahaha! His education attracted me but it was not enough to keep me.
Guess what? I’m engaged to be married to the second guy! Hahaha! He was so patient and all with me and my prejudice against who I thought was an “uneducated man.” His hardworking abilities have blown me off my feet! I admire my fiancé in a way I never thought imaginable! I had to have a mental adjustment. I needed to realize there is so much more to a person than his education. A relationship does not stand on that alone. Yes, there are advantages and disadvantages to both kinds of lives, but as long as they are both honest, both are worth a look at! I don’t think I lowered my expectations at any point, I think I just came to really understand what it means to go about your work and career in a different way. Blue collar is absolutely admirable.
I really appreciate this article. I am definitely in the camp that college is not for everyone. I have a college degree, it was always expected from me and I used it for a time but now I stay at home with my son and my husband works. He had no college and drives a front loader all day and has been with the same company since high school (28 years). We don’t have a lot of disposable income but it allows me to stay home which is important to both of us. We also have a daughter (his from previous marriage) who we have helped put through private school. I am incredibly proud of my husband. He works so hard for our family. He is also skilled in handiwork and autowork, not professionally trained but he knows enough to do side work if we need the income or do work on our home or cars to save us money. I’ll be honest, I have always found “blue collar” work to be very attractive in a man! And I am very attracted to my husband! I am also super budget minded and the fact that he can provide for us in ways other than his every day income is super sexy! But here’s the point I really wanted to make, as Christians we are called to do everything unto the Lord. So no matter our profession we are to work unto the Lord. Also, we are all called to be ministers of the Gospel, that is true whether we are Pastors, professionals, homemakers, or loader operator! Every person has broken Gods law, every person needs a Savior, God sent His Son to take our punishment, He died on the cross and was raised after 3 days, when we put our faith in Jesus we are given HIS righteousness and the hope of eternal life in heaven! This good news is needed to be heard everywhere!
My husband came out of a cult and was saved by the grace of God, the company he works for is owned and operated mostly by people who are still in this cult along with many other unbelievers. He could have left the company when he became a Christian but he loves these people, he was raised with them and they need Jesus like he did! Every single day is an opportunity to witness for Christ. He’s able to work while being on the phone ministering to people, as the Lord leads, for a good portion of the day.
This post got long quick. I’m sorry! But this article hits home and I feel strongly about this line of thinking! Now just to be clear, I am not opposed to college only the thinking that it’s the only way to be “successful.” My step-daughter will no doubt go to college, she is very academically minded and her interests will no doubt lead her to a degree from a university. My son is only 2 so who knows! We only want them to live a life that glorifies God no matter where they make a living!
Sheila, great article! Before I retired three years ago, I taught high school for 32 years. It saddens me when I think of the many, many students I saw head off to college because they were expected to, only to hear several years later that they had dropped out and were aimless in their lives. They had no business going to college, at least right away. But the message they received was that college is the key to a great life. It’s sad that there is truth in the joke that a college degree and a huge college debt prepare you for a career as a Walmart greeter.
Part of the problem is the education establishment and business establishment, which every so often scream out that we need more scientists and engineers. And then the schools change policies and curricula to force kids into that mold. The cookie cutter approach to education has done a lot of harm to a lot of students.
I think we should tell kids to aim for success, but we need to redefine success. Too often it’s having stuff right away, instant gratification, no sacrifice, and actually “having it all.” Anyone who has tried to “have it all” usually ends up losing big, often a marriage or a family.
As far as Kay’s comment above about jobs as pastors or missionaries, I actually had a pastor tell me once that such jobs were more important. We weren’t in that church much longer.
This comment sums up a lot of what was pushed to the current generation (at least in The States). I grew up in the 90s and throughout school we were constantly told “finish high school, go to college, and your life will be great”. Trade schools were turned into college prep. Everyone was pushed towards college. Guidance counselors all but scoffed at kids that were not thinking college.
Fast forward I taught HS for 2 years. I invited trade schools to the “college fairs” and even called military recruiters. I told the principal we were doing half of these kids a disservice sending them to college I’ll- equipped. I had 5 boys in particular meet with an Air Force recruiter and they signed up. Most of their mom’s cursed me out and reported me to the superintendent. I explained their sons were smart, but lacked discipline& vision and this path would keep them off the streets or prison. I saw 4 of them about a year ago and they thanked me. Two of them completed two contracts and the other two signed on for twenty years. The two who signed for twenty years are more than halfway to retirement. They will be 38 when they retire with a full government pension.
All that to say, A skilled blue collar worker has more stability than many of us at desk jobs. I’d just change the title of the article to something like “The dignity/honor of blue collar labor. Why college isn’t necessary to earn a good living”.
Yes. Aim Lower but always upwards.
Aiming too high today could leave you disillusioned and in a holding pattern.
I tell my son to aim up a little. Succeed at that and aim up a little more after that. Wash, Rinse, Repeat at infinitum. Twenty years later you’re going to be so far ahead of aiming too high.
An example is a friend who dropped out of high school but loved computers and technology. He enrolled in an electronics program at a community college and got an entry-level job at a major chip maker. He took as many classes about chip making the company offered. He worked hard and always aimed up. After 20 years, he was managing a team of folk – two-thirds had masters and doctorates in engineering but he had a better command of the product and process. He is now making 5x’s the median income for our area.
Spot on post Shelia! My husband and I talk about this topic regularly as we have three sons who we are encouraging to go into the trades and not college. They are very hands on already and it’s more in their DNA than a “college” job. My husband is a “blue collar” worker as was my stepdad until he retired at nearly 60 a month ago. It can be a a lucrative industry for a lot of families. Obviously you have to live within your means, but that should be the rule for everyone. My hubby is a mechanic by trade and has now worked up into some management responsibilities. He’s a hard worker and everything we have is because of our hard work. I’m a homemaker and homeschool(ed) our children (two graduated, two left) so it is possible to be in a trade job and have the mom stay at home. We have several friends that are in the same boat, but it’s choices that allow us to live this way. We don’t take lavish vacations, we camp. We go out to dinner occasionally, but to affordable places. I don’t feel deprived in the least and love my “career” as a homemaker! It’s worth the sacrifice to us so that I can be home raising our children.
Hmm…I wonder where these lucrative blue collar jobs are? Not around my town. Hubby is working & making peanuts. Most manufacturing jobs pay $10/hour or LESS! Sorry but that’s not a living wage. And if he had to provide all of us with health insurance he’d be bringing less money per week. With all of these new tariffs , costs for items will be going up if they haven’t already.
Being in healthcare is a safe bet. There will always be sick people and one doesn’t have to be a nurse in order to work in healthcare. One could also be an x-ray techician, or an OR tech. Both jobs can be had by going thru a technical school.
Hmmm…. what does the Bible say about we can’t all be eyes, or arms, or feet or…..? You get the picture. We should be aiming to be obedient to God and do what He wants us to do, go where He wants us to go, be what He created us to be, and encourage our children & our partners likewise. No job is greater than, more important than, or better than any other except in our own minds. Where would we get food if there were no farmers? Who would fix our toilets when they backed up if there were no plumbers? Who would provide you with service in a store if there were no (friendly?) clerks? Again, you get the picture. It’s our egos that like to get in our way….
My first thought when reading this is that there are blue collar jobs, and then there are blue collar jobs. I think jobs like welding and electrical engineering ought not to be lumped in with jobs like waiting tables. Not that one is good and one is bad; I just think they’re too different to be compared fairly. I won’t speak for anyone else, but here’s my experience:
The person in the picture above holding a hard hat, looks to me like a construction worker. My husband spent a long time working in construction. It was incredibly grueling work and he came home exhausted and in pain more days than not. Always stressed and on edge. He had no sick time, no vacation days. No benefits, no health insurance. His schedule was never reliably the same from week to week, or even from day to day. He was never treated with any respect at work. On top of that, the two of us working together could barely make ends meet. That’s a common scenario for many labor jobs, at least in the US.
Is there ‘shame’ in doing that kind of work? No. It’s an honest job. Do we think it “beneath” us somehow? Nope. But do we want that kind of life for our children? Or ourselves? Absolutely not. Sorry, not sorry. We’re working to change that reality as much as we can.
Besides saving our health and our sanity, we want to have the time and the financial freedom to do things that simply aren’t possible on a lower income (which blue collar jobs often are). Things like: go to the doctor when we’re sick. Spend time with family. Give more money to good Christian causes. Or take a missions trip… for instance 😉
tl;dr: there’s nothing “wrong” with blue collar jobs per se, but a lot depends on *what kind* you have.
LOVE this article. The world really does look down on folks who ‘didn’t get a college degree’. I went to trade school and learned piano tuning (it’s a dying art with most folks who are in it over 40). I love my job. It’s really difficult, but really rewarding. I don’t make a ton of money because i’m starting out, but I know a lot of piano technicians who have built a very good life for their families through this work.
But I have been given a hard time many times, even by people I know, for not getting a ‘degree’, like it must mean I’m not smart enough or something, or wasn’t willing to work that hard.
Sadly I couldn’t get a degree in piano tuning in the States, except for in two places, neither of which I could financially afford to move to as they did not have school housing.
But the point is…education, no matter how it is achieved, is something to be thankful for. And a career you enjoy that provides is something to be proud of, no matter what it is!:)
Honestly though…trade school is always good idea because those skills are always in demand! I think blue-collar jobs are wonderful. My husband is in robot programming and maintenance. So we have humble careers, but they make us happy and put food on the table.
Thank you for the encouragement – it’s nice to see that other people think like my husband and I!😊💛
My husband and I were both home-schooled. I got my GED. He has not. We got married at 18 and are now 26. We have a 2.5 year old son. He works as a carpenter and is so good at it. We built our own house and only have 12 years left on the morgage. We live comfortably. We will encourage our son to pursue his interests and his talents. Whether that includes college or not. I hope that he takes after his daddy and uses his hands.
I want to add that a “blue collar” job is defined by being physically active and using his body to make a living. For my husband, who is an insulin dependent diabetic, a physically active job is crucial to his health. He needs a good workout every day! Something strenuous everyday! It helps keep his blood sugar numbers in check. I observe that men fulfill something inside of them by working physically. Whether it is a full time job, hobby, or sport. I see that men need and enjoy that.
Hi Marlene – I think that’s SUCH a great point! My husband works in law and while he has a wonderful job and he finds it fulfilling and rewarding, he definitely got better exercise when he was a construction worker in the summers while in school. Glad your husband is able to take care of himself while working! I think that line of reasoning is really wise and admirable!
I left school at 16 with no qualifications whatsoever. I had a series of poorly paid factory and other menial jobs until I was 22 when I got a job as a nursing assistant in a facility which cared for young people with various disabilities. This was the start of my wonderfully rewarding low paid, low status, vitally necessary working life (with a break of nine years when my children were little.) I have no regrets. I dwell on what I have done not what I haven’t and none of it is regrettable. It’s a poor indictment that a conversation like this should even be happening.
In fact, I’m appalled at the suggestion that construction work is considered to be “aiming low”. I think this might be a North American thing though. In the UK we are often told we are too class conscious, but the term “blue collar” sounds like it’s being used as a slur by some of you. I find it a very distasteful description of someone who works hard for a living. And why ‘honest job?’ This is so patronizing. Is this really how you think Sheila? I’m so disappointed to find this attitude here.