Would you be ok if your child grows up to be blue collar worker?

[Anonymous]

I would happily have either of my children become a plumber. They'll always be a need for it. A van fully-outfitted with tools, after an apprenticeship would put them on track for a business with growth potential. And, the money's great!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Something specialized with room for growth - yes, absolutely.

Something dead-end - absolutely not.

What’s the need for growth for? Money?

At a certain point, our lives are all dead ends

PP here - so true!

Growth is important because it allows a person to build upon what they've established themselves as being able to do. This is only true to a point, I recognize.

That’s a good thing to try to achieve. But career doesn’t have any special significance in that respect. Lots of A-List professionals are embarrassingly moronic disasters in their personal lives.

[Anonymous]

Contractor; electrician; plumber; HVAC; auto mechanic -- sure. Frankly I'd encourage something in the building trades because you have a very real chance of owning your own business which allows you to control your destiny to an extent; though obviously I'd tell them they need to work 24-7 when young to make their money before their bodies get old (which is a very real issue for contractors) and to take full advantage of good economic times because business totally falls off when recessions hit.

If they were the military/cop/firefighter type -- I'd be honest, I'm not going to be wild about them choosing to be in harm's way for a government salary. If I see them with those interests by middle school, I'll be pushing the service academies or ROTC hard -- they can go live that life as officers for 5 years and then go into the private sector and make real money without day to day danger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Considering how snobby everyone on the board is, what if your child grows up to end up working at Walmart as a cashier or becoming a plumber?

Or what if he grows up to become a cop?

What will you do?

If child is a women she shouldn’t have to work so side jobs like those would be fine with Me. Her husband will be supporting her

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering how snobby everyone on the board is, what if your child grows up to end up working at Walmart as a cashier or becoming a plumber?

Or what if he grows up to become a cop?

What will you do?

If child is a women she shouldn’t have to work so side jobs like those would be fine with Me. Her husband will be supporting her

Lol.

[Anonymous]

My husband's Grandfather was a Master Plumber. For the city. He died from cancer 30 years ago leaving his wife a paid off home, money to live on so she didn't have to work and enough left over later for the kids and grandkids.

There is nothing wrong with making a decent honest living.

We have a kid that went to college and he's dumb as dirt. He's a snowflake pajama boy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Considering how snobby everyone on the board is, what if your child grows up to end up working at Walmart as a cashier or becoming a plumber?

Or what if he grows up to become a cop?

What will you do?

If child is a women she shouldn’t have to work so side jobs like those would be fine with Me. Her husband will be supporting her

Since she was four-years-old, DD has wanted to be some variation of a "police science woman." Sometimes it's with the FBI, sometimes the Secret Service, the military...that's the only piece that has changed. The where not the what. For what it's worth, I think she'd be an excellent cop and would find her a mentor to make sure she knows how to do it right for safety, knowledge of the informal system, and advancement. Hell yeah! Her brother is made of different stuff and I don't feel he could cut it. But, baby girl? Watch out world! Can you imagine her clearing the backlog of rape kits? I'd never stop talking about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contractor; electrician; plumber; HVAC; auto mechanic -- sure. Frankly I'd encourage something in the building trades because you have a very real chance of owning your own business which allows you to control your destiny to an extent; though obviously I'd tell them they need to work 24-7 when young to make their money before their bodies get old (which is a very real issue for contractors) and to take full advantage of good economic times because business totally falls off when recessions hit.

If they were the military/cop/firefighter type -- I'd be honest, I'm not going to be wild about them choosing to be in harm's way for a government salary. If I see them with those interests by middle school, I'll be pushing the service academies or ROTC hard -- they can go live that life as officers for 5 years and then go into the private sector and make real money without day to day danger.

When 11 year old DS started talking about going into the Navy with his boyfriend (that's a whole other post!), I said he could only go if he went in as an officer, which meant school first. We have two Academy graduates in our extended family, so that's the standard. He doesn't have to follow in those foot steps, but he would have to enlist high enough to make it worthwhile for me. The boyfriend thing may endure, but not the love of the military. I think it's simply too rigorous for him.

[Anonymous]

Blue collar public employee here with a nice higher-end home paid for, great retirement and over a million in cash and investments. Education: Community College. Proof you can live the dream as a blue collar worker.

[Anonymous]

Honestly no. Of course I would accept it, but I would privately be disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cop, plumber, firefighter - yes of course

Cashier at Walmart- probably not. My family is very blue collar and I’ve worked hard to establish a career that isn’t retail focused.

I would consider that to be less than blue collar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd be pissed if I just spent 4 yrs of paying for (expensive) college tuition when kid could've gone to a vocational school instead.

I'll admit to being snooty when it comes to education, but I'd rather my kid be a teacher or social worker than a plumber, even if the latter does pay more. I do not want my kids to inhabit a blue collar world, sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]Some of the greatest literary figures of the last century had "blue collar" jobs[/b]

Charles Bukowski is just one example.

I have plenty of blue collar people in my family and I can assure you that most of them have no interest at all in literature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something specialized with room for growth - yes, absolutely.

Something dead-end - absolutely not.

So you would be opposed to your kid becoming a teacher?

[Anonymous]

the way the question is asked is hilarious. would i be "ok". like, not so traumatized i couldn't continue? i would be ok, yes.

it certainly would not be my first or best guess of what would be most likely to make my kids happy and healthy and well-provided for. my (brief) experience and that of many of my friends, retail and food service is not a pleasant or reliable way to make a living. but my kids are going to chart their own course. i'd be disappointed if they couldn't or wouldn't finish college of any kind, but i don't think an education is ever wasted.

otherwise, they want to be a firefighter or cop? that's awesome.
a plumber - you go, girl. run your own business too, eventually.
walmart cashier - if it is supporting your dream or just your life, sure. your job doesn't define you; it supports you