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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I went to college and wish I didn’t. Grew up with we off doctor parents so it was expected. Turns out I’m a blue collar guy at heart and would rather be a plumber — anything but spending any time sitting at a computer or desk.[/quote]
Are you actually a plumber, or is this a fantasy of how life coulda, shoulda gone, if only? It's not too late to quit & start over. Why haven't you?[/quote]

I’m 29 and I have almost a million saved up in addition to a cash flow producing rental because of luck — dumb yolo’s I made in college, plus I bought a house in Charlottesville next to UVA with a 70k inheritance from my grandmother back in 2011 when I was fresh out of high school and it’s been a cash cow. Plan I to keep grinding at my job I hate for another 5 years, buy another rental or two,  and quit and retire / pursue my hobbies full time. [/quote]

Jesus H Christ this is one of the most entitled posts I've ever read on DCUM. And that's saying something.

I have older family members who have been blue collars workers their entire lives. Your body starts seriously breaking down at age 50 after thirty years of manual labor. These guys are mid 50s and look like they are pushing 70. Their bodies are broken, they move slow, they can't lift much anymore, they have A LOT difficulty crouching or being on their knees. And guess what? Most blue collar work doesn't give you a 401K or matching funds. If they were getting paid under the table for a large portion of their career, they will get minimal Social Security and some many not have enough credits to even qualify for Social Security. If they are independent, they are likely going without health insurance and have to wait until 65 to get Medicare.

[b]The only "blue collar" guys who do well are those who inherit their daddy's contracting or plumbing company where they have a dozens of guys who for them. [/b]At that point, they are just like any other white collar manager directing workers and counting money.[/quote]

Talk about entitled.  And, condescending.  
I know a lot of blue collar workers.  Many of them OWN their own business and are doing quite well. 
Your circle of "blue collar" workers must be quite small.  
And, your bolded comment is flat out wrong.  Plumbers and electricians do quite well.

I am a college graduate with advanced degrees.  I have difficulty crouching or kneeling.  Unfortunately, I inherited my dad's bad knees.  The blue collar workers I know who are my age are much more limber than I am.....and I am much older than 50.  
[/quote]

The guy who owns the plumbing/electrical business does well.  His employees not so much.   Also, to do the job well, you need a certain degree of mathematical skill and literacy to be a plumber or electrician.  You need to be able to understand building and electrical codes, you may need to be able to write up permits, understand contract terms, you need to be able to prepare and calculate a bill of materials, calculate and prepare estimates, you need to be able to do the calculations to properly size equipment like hydraulic lift for a pump or calculate electrical load etc.  And a lot of kids just squeaking their way through high school these days frankly don't have enough of those skills.[/quote]
+1. The world is changing. Even for those entering the trades, they still need academic skills such as math skills, comprehension skills, writing skills, communication skills, computer skills. I see plenty of trades workers who do not have these skills and I hope they are able to retire soon because they are not able to keep up with modern work - even modern blue collar work.[/quote]

My brother who works with people in the trades and maintains his own credentials in a trade. He, his associates and others I know in the trades say the same sorts of things. The basic skills needed to do the jobs and get into the haven’t changed that much over the past few decades. However, they are no longer finding as many high school grads capable of doing those jobs (eg, they lack basic math skills). You don’t need a college degree to become a plumber, but since high schools are graduating too many kids without the basic skills who want to do those jobs, the candidate pool is much smaller. Now people are paying colleges to teach the kids (not all but enough of them) to finish the education they should have already gotten.[/quote]

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