Blue collar jobs

[Poonani Maker]

Unions are the worst thing known to man.

You keep thinkin that.

 

[PrinceBeavis]

Im just curious how and why some of you are forced into blue collar jobs? Failed dreams? Not enough money for college? Choice? Laziness?

"Forced"?!

Why would I want to be an "Office-Sissy"? I enjoy the work. It's man's work.
95% of the Office Sissies couldn't do what I do. They are just pencil pushers in a cubicle.

 

[chili kat]

Blue collar employers are often willing to flip part or all of the bill towards education for employees these days. The reason for this is because a growing number of blue collar fields are becoming more technical. Computers are in just about everything now.

A small Mom & Pop operation will at least pay for trade school. Larger corporations will often pay for entire degrees.

The best bet for any young guy these days is to get a blue collar job with a global corporation and then take full advantage of their Education Assistance Program.

This is what I'm doing myself, albeit a little later in life than I wish I would have. I'm getting paid 55K a year while earning a Bachelor's Degree on their dime. And, I already have the inside track on a much better job with the corporation itself once I have my degree, possibly even before then.

In the meantime, I'm building up seniority and pension, vacation time, notching my way up the pay grade, increasing my vested rights to 401K funds, ect. No student loans to pay back, no job search with zero experience and so on....

IMO, the dumbest thing you can do, white or blue collar, is follow the standard operating procedure of the masses.

 

[BuckwildNYC]

I've seen tons of people waste alot of good time and money on college and either never get a job in the field they studied or dont make much money either way.

I had an oppurtunity to get into the electrical union in NYC so that's what I did. I now make 46 dollars an hour. Doing the math thats a base salary of 85,000 a year. With overtime u can easily make over a hundred 100,000 when theres alot of work. On top of that they put about 500 a week into your 401k on top of your own contribution.

When there isn't alot of work you can sit home and collect unemployment, plus use the money that they put aside for you while u were working and know that when you do go back to work you will still be making your 46 dolllars an hour again. Being in a union is peace of mind. The work can sometimes be hard but so can sitting in cubicle for 10 hours a day. I'll stick with my electrical job.

 

[BoredDude]

I guess not all unions are created equal, but this Dannon one is ridiculous or so says my father.

 

[Ken785]

I've seen tons of people waste alot of good time and money on college and either never get a job in the field they studied or dont make much money either way.

I had an oppurtunity to get into the electrical union in NYC so that's what I did. I now make 46 dollars an hour. Doing the math thats a base salary of 85,000 a year. With overtime u can easily make over a hundred 100,000 when theres alot of work. On top of that they put about 500 a week into your 401k on top of your own contribution.

When there isn't alot of work you can sit home and collect unemployment, plus use the money that they put aside for you while u were working and know that when you do go back to work you will still be making your 46 dolllars an hour again. Being in a union is peace of mind. The work can sometimes be hard but so can sitting in cubicle for 10 hours a day. I'll stick with my electrical job.

I just got a job as a directv installer...it is payed by what is called "Piece pay" which means paid by job completed. The basic pay scale is $65 for first reciever $25 for each additional receiver $25 for tech troubleshoot. You are you own "sub-contractor" so its like having your own business kinda. You can deduct all your expenses including gas,truck,tools,etc and all work related stuff. Sounds sweet...you dont have to pay taxes till the end of the year and when you do so you have all your deductions! I think later im going to buy a new truck since payments are deductible!

What do you guys think? Im going through training right now which is unpaid but oh well at least im learning....only thing that sucks about sub contractor is you are liable for things like damages and stuff...so sometimes if an install isnt possible or too liable...you make the judgment on whether you should do it or not because all liability is on you. Some techs charge extra if its going to be harder work...thats cash in pocket a lot of times.

Any of you guys install or have installed satellites before?

 

[BuckwildNYC]

Well I would assume you would need some kind of insurance to protect yourself. Also how many of these installations are available to you? How fast can you bang out an installation. Is it steady enough work that you can rely on or is it just to make a couple quick bucks for now?

I do sidework for extra cash but I wouldn't relyon it. I charge 100 bucks to put up a ceiling fan and it takes about an hour. Sounds great if I had 8 to do a day but I don't. It's just for some an extra cash here and there.

 

[Ken785]

Well I would assume you would need some kind of insurance to protect yourself. Also how many of these installations are available to you? How fast can you bang out an installation. Is it steady enough work that you can rely on or is it just to make a couple quick bucks for now?

I do sidework for extra cash but I wouldn't relyon it. I charge 100 bucks to put up a ceiling fan and it takes about an hour. Sounds great if I had 8 to do a day but I don't. It's just for some an extra cash here and there.

Yeah i dont know about the insurance part yet...side work would be great, especially if a customer is looking for someone to install home audio...i know i cant do it on the job but maybe on a day off.. I would assume it is a little hazardous because you have to work sometimes in the rain and climb 2 story buildings on a ladder...im a little afraid of heights but im sure ill get used to it.

I just have to be careful because im a little clumsey at times, dont want to hurt myself falling off a ladder or anything...the other techs seem to get plenty of work everyday. I dont know how fast a can do an install yet because i havent tried one for a customer although i have installed one for my personal home. Im sure with experience i can knock one out in like 2 hours...some techs take longer to insure quality....but then again it would depend on the home too...if the wires are already there, COOL...knock it out in an hour. But if I gotta run new wire it will take longer. The other techs are making avg 200-225 a day...One guy showed me his pay stub and he works 7 days a week avging 6000 a month.

Its normally a full time job which means you have to be available all the time but i told them i had school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and they said it was cool as long as a can work the other days especially the weekends.

Id imagine though that the work can be very stressful and hard, but at least you stay in shape and get to be your own boss...and the pay is not bad neither if you work hard enough!

You have to pay for all your own supplies including tools are wiring and stuff but like i said, its all tax deductible...so you dont pay any tax for a whole year which is sweet...plus you can deduct a lot of stuff to cut your taxes down (anything work related anyway). Buying a new truck would be nice!

Theres a guy there that made about $112,000 last year off his installs and side work!, Has 2 new trucks which are tax deductible and even bought his own house! being a sub-contractor and having your own business sounds sweet!

 

[ready123]

I don't even look at things as blue collar / white collar. To me it's whether or not you break out of the working class income bracket (I think here in LA, it's 35k annual). I used to make 20k as a technician, had a BS from Devry (don't go there, it sucks), that was the best I could get until I saved enough to move out of LA. With bills, I couldn't afford to rent an apartment, the job sucked, i was living out of my car for a stretch, freakin terrible. Meanwhile, the "blue collar" guys who drive heavy machinery to fix roads make 6 figures. Strippers make 6 figures and drive luxury cars. And I know a handful of engineers who quit their jobs in industry to start up their own construction firm. I'm not hating, I'm just saying it is what it is. And personal fulfillment from your career choice aside, how much you make matters more than how much deskwork you do

 

[fresh_to_death]

Im just curious how and why some of you are forced into blue collar jobs? Failed dreams? Not enough money for college? Choice? Laziness?

Dangerous thinking young man. I work for a oil and natural gas pressure pumping company and I'm going to make about 75k my first year here. No degree. You wouldn't believe how many people I work with have degrees and/or were doing white collar work before they came to my job. It's almost guaranteed you will be making upwards of 150k by your 3rd year and this is all salary. My employer pays for hotels and apartments for us to live in, pays for you to go to school and get a science or engineering degree if you choose(after 1 year with the company), and pays for most of our food(and we still get per diem on top of that). So, um, yeah.

Really, it's not even about blue/white collar job, it's breaking away. If your trapped in debt and stupidity what does it even matter what kind of job you work? You're still a ****ing wage slave, on your knees, waiting for someone to throw you a carrot.

 

[PrinceBeavis]

Really, it's not even about blue/white collar job, it's breaking away. If your trapped in debt and stupidity what does it even matter what kind of job you work? You're still a ****ing wage slave, on your knees, waiting for someone to throw you a carrot.

Amen, and Amen.

 

[OzyBoy]

I know the feeling. I have worked in a job that paid $13 per hour where i had to work my ass off and with lots of overtime i made $700. I am now doing some different work after a bit of education and get much more each week with no overtime and i don't have to work my ass off.

 

[DonutMan]

I just got a job as a directv installer...it is payed by what is called "Piece pay" which means paid by job completed. The basic pay scale is $65 for first reciever $25 for each additional receiver $25 for tech troubleshoot. You are you own "sub-contractor" so its like having your own business kinda. You can deduct all your expenses including gas,truck,tools,etc and all work related stuff. Sounds sweet...you dont have to pay taxes till the end of the year and when you do so you have all your deductions! I think later im going to buy a new truck since payments are deductible!

What do you guys think? Im going through training right now which is unpaid but oh well at least im learning....only thing that sucks about sub contractor is you are liable for things like damages and stuff...so sometimes if an install isnt possible or too liable...you make the judgment on whether you should do it or not because all liability is on you. Some techs charge extra if its going to be harder work...thats cash in pocket a lot of times.

Any of you guys install or have installed satellites before?

One of my best friends did that, and he hated every minute of it. He did at times say he was making 1,000 - 1,500 a week but he had no life. He would literally get up and go to work at 5am and get back at 10 pm every night. Plus it pissed him off that the guys that made the most money were the bastards who were willing to take lots of short cuts and do a horrible job installing the satellites so they could do more. He was very careful and did the job right, so he often had to do service calls to fix other installers work. I did get free Direct TV out of it though :rock:

 

[Ken785]

One of my best friends did that, and he hated every minute of it. He did at times say he was making 1,000 - 1,500 a week but he had no life. He would literally get up and go to work at 5am and get back at 10 pm every night. Plus it pissed him off that the guys that made the most money were the bastards who were willing to take lots of short cuts and do a horrible job installing the satellites so they could do more. He was very careful and did the job right, so he often had to do service calls to fix other installers work. I did get free Direct TV out of it though :rock:

How many installs did he do a day and how long did it take him? Id hate to go home that late....i perfer working 8-9 hours max and still have time off to rest.

 

[Road Demon]

Blue vs. White collar. The real question is social status, not economic?

Who has higher social status?

A electrian or plumber who makes 100K year and drives a corvette?

The college professor or medical resident making 47K a year.

At a social gathering, who do people want to talk to? I beleive the answer is obvious.

 

[Poonani Maker]

Blue vs. White collar. The real question is social status, not economic?

Who has higher social status?

A electrian or plumber who makes 100K year and drives a corvette?

The college professor or medical resident making 47K a year.

At a social gathering, who do people want to talk to? I beleive the answer is obvious.

You'd be surprised.

 

[SmoothTalker]

The other thing I like to consider is, most of these blue collar jobs are physically demanding.

White collar people's careers generally get much better with age as they gather experience, since our brains work just fine till at least our 70's.

Are you going to be able to do construction/heavy trades/mining what have you when you get older?

I think both sides don't have a clear idea of what the opposite lifestyle is like. I'm sure blue collar work isn't entirely heavy and brainless (though so far my personal experiences have suggested that) but people that have never actually worked in a white collar job also don't understand it. It's a lot more challenging and enjoyable than you'd think.

PS: And yes, unions do suck. They DID have a purpose around the turn of the last century when working conditions were quite different. Now they are simply killing companies, and frankly don't fit in too well with capitalism. Getting the same pay as everyone else in your agreement regardless of how hard you work is BS. Just look how well unions are working out for Ford/GM/Chrysler, the steel industry, etc, etc, etc. I know the higher pay and benefits are a great perk, but look at the bigger picture if you want a job a few years from now. Your contract won't protect you if the company goes under.

 

[ChrizZ]

Blue vs. White collar. The real question is social status, not economic?

Who has higher social status?

A electrian or plumber who makes 100K year and drives a corvette?

The college professor or medical resident making 47K a year.

At a social gathering, who do people want to talk to? I beleive the answer is obvious.

To Bill Gates...

 

[Road Demon]

"The upper middle class has grown… and its composition has changed. Increasingly salaried managers and professionals have replaced individual business owners and independent professionals. The key to the success of the upper-middle-class is the growing importance of educational certification… its lifestyles and opinions are becoming increasingly normative for the whole society. It is in fact a porous class, open to people… who earn the right credentials."

—Dennis Gilbert, The American Class Structure, 1998.[14]


"It should be stressed... that a position does not bring power and prestige because it draws a high income. Rather, it draws a high income because it is functionally important and the available personnel are for one reason or another scarce. It is therefore superficial and erroneous to regard high income as the cause of a man's power and prestige, just as it is erroneous to think that a man's fever is the cause of his disease... The economic source of power and prestige is not income primarily, but the ownership of capital goods (including patents, good will, and professional reputation). Such ownership should be distinguished from the possession of consumers' goods, which is an index rather than a cause of social standing. ”

—Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore, Principles of Stratification

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_structure_of_the_United_States

 

[Poonani Maker]

I'm Very happy being a blue collar worker! and so are the women who know I'm secure for 30 years with the union. You think women don't research our wages and benefits? Think again.