The vast majority of the job seekers floating about on the major job boards and employment web sites today can be categorized as white collar. Typically, these are office employees – IT professionals, accountants, financial specialists, administrative personnel – that are currently employed but often looking to improve their employment situations for a variety of reasons. As a result, most of the resources and employment web sites, including Insourced, are geared toward the white collar labor force.

Intuitively, this makes sense. White collar workers can often troll for new jobs while at work and there seems to be a pervading stereotype that there is an inherent disconnect between the Internet and the blue collar labor force. But I would suggest that part of the explanation for the prevalence of white collar job seekers is that most lower- to mid-level white collar workers are always searching, either actively or passively, for a better position. To some degree I believe this is because it is very difficult for many (certainly not any or all) white collar workers to find any real level of fulfillment in their work. For many, operating as a cog in the machinations of a large, faceless company can be spiritually and emotionally draining.

In my first and only “real job”, which I started a few months after graduating from college, I worked for just over two years in what I would describe as an extremely liberal and mostly fun office setting. I was a standard mid-level employee for the majority of that time. I thoroughly enjoyed my co-workers and have maintained contact with many of them even though I left that position almost eight years ago.

The problem that I had with working there was that I never felt any satisfaction when I left work, despite the fact that I worked hard and was consistently rewarded with strong performance reviews and significant pay raises. For some reason, I never felt the same satisfaction that I had when I would finish a day at one of the many manual labor positions that I held through high school and college. Maybe that old satisfaction was partly based on the fact that I was young and working primarily for spending money. But maybe there was something more to it.

In my opinion, there is something to be said for a job that has a clearly defined beginning and end. Through my teens and very early twenties, I held summer jobs as a laborer at an equipment rental store, a busboy at a busy restaurant, a landscaper for a lawn care company, and a groundskeeper at a golf course. All of these positions were physically demanding, and some were extremely so.

But rarely do I recall a better feeling than finishing a day of landscaping where I had walked over ten miles behind a lawnmower and shoveled thousands of pounds of mulch and dirt. The same could be said for finishing a long night bussing tables, only to sit for five minutes and survey the empty restaurant where, for the previous eight hours, a couple hundred diners had been served in a setting of controlled chaos. Whenever one of those workdays ended, I left knowing that my work was done and that I was entirely free, both physically and mentally, until work started again the next day.

That sense of completion and finality at the end of every workday is rare in the white collar world. White collar employees are far more likely to “bring their work home with them” in some form or another. Sometimes it is the stress of waiting for the big meeting with middle management the next morning. Sometimes it is the knowledge that they are going to be required to work longer hours to keep up with their workload, even though they will receive no additional compensation. Sometimes it is simply the knowledge that tomorrow will be exactly like today and that their role is exactly the same as dozens of other people working without distinction in the same company.

As I’ve mentioned, my personal experiences have been with manual labor positions. Such positions are not viable options for anyone that is currently working in a white collar position for several reasons, with income being the most notable. But blue collar positions, which I would define as skilled labor positions, can offer salaries that are comparable to many white collar positions and perhaps can be a much more rewarding career path for the countless people that are miserable in their current white collar existence.

Before I continue, let me not that I am not a blue collar worker. I am a self-employed business owner that has worked, since graduating from college, in what would be described as white collar settings. But I was raised in a blue collar family and the work-related values that I have gained from that experience have always benefited me in my professional endeavors. Additionally, entrepreneurship by its nature is very much a blue collar endeavor. Being an entrepreneur requires the willingness to do whatever is necessary to get the job done and be held completely accountable for the results that are produced. In my opinion, these attributes are much more “blue collar” than white.

As the American office environment continues to squeeze the life out of the many among the white collar workforce, perhaps there is some relief in the world of blue collar employment. Not that such a change would be recommended or even possible for most people. A change like that cannot happen overnight. An accountant can’t simply quit his job and start working as an electrician or plumber. But such a venture is something that could be pursued relatively quickly, given the right resources and time management.

Many skilled labor unions and trade associations offer paid training and apprenticeships. This means that the would-be white collar employee turned “blue” would be getting paid to learn a trade, allowing him to offset the likely initial salary cut experienced when making the career change. Additionally, some unions and trade associations offer night or weekend training, which would allow one to maintain his current office position while learning a trade.

Blue collar work, however, can be physically demanding. In many blue collar positions, workers are required to be on their feet for hours at a time and may be required to lift and carry heavy equipment. While this type of work brings with it an increased risk of injury, it also provides the benefit of getting daily exercise in the course of a daily work routine. As long as proper precautions are taken and all safety procedures are observed, blue collar work can actually promote an increase in natural physical fitness. Yes, accidents can and will happen, but they are the exception, not the rule.

Many blue collar positions require working outdoors and, as a result, the workplace/job site can be adversely affected by the prevailing weather conditions. This is primarily a drawback, but in some instances, it can bring an unexpected day off. Of course, the day will have to be made up, probably on a weekend, but an unexpected day off can be a welcome change of pace that really doesn’t exist in the white collar world.

Further, blue collar positions often bring with them a level of autonomy that is not offered in the majority of lower- and mid-level white collar positions. If you bring a formal education with you in addition to a legitimate skill or trade, it is likely that you would ascend to the autonomous positions rapidly, if not immediately. If you are a blue collar tradesman that has established himself as both competent and honest, there is likely to be a virtually endless stream of work available to you, either through your employer or through side jobs, which can accumulate quickly through word-of-mouth referrals.

Ultimately, “switching collars” from white to blue may not be possible for you. But it should at least be considered if you’re currently unhappy in the white collar rat race. When the time comes for me to explore new employment opportunities (hopefully as a result of early and lucrative retirement boredom), I’ll be driving a delivery truck…if they’ll have me.

Tags: blue collar jobs, blue collar workers, manual labor jobs

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