Careers: Switching from White Collar to Blue Collar

 The gallows humor among underpaid or underemployed liberal arts graduates has been Become a plumber. Until recently, though, most of us stuck with the white-collar jobs that higher education prepared us for.

Now more graduates of college and professional/graduate school are seriously considering a shift to blue collar work or have already made the transition.

A post on Reddit Career Guidance asks for feedback on making the leap from a desk job in a university to a unionized blue collar one. Both have the same pay scale.

One response reports:

"A good friend of mine was a hedge fund guy, multi million a year, stressed out beyond belief. Had a heart attack at 36.. he’s laying tile now, in a union and happy ..."

Here is the thread.

A client for my coaching services with a master's degree has launched a number of enterprises which provide blue-collar kinds of services. Those include window-washing. She had started out pink-collar in a hair salon, then picked up an education. That credential never obscured for her the opportunities in blue-collar businesses. 

Currently, as The Washington Post reports, white collar jobs are being targeted for layoffs. Those range from Pepsi to Goldman Sachs. If that trend continues - likely it will accelerate in 2023 - more of the Professional Class will seriously research where they could a fit in the blue-collar world of work. 

Communities which will be hit hard by unemployed white-collar workers after the holidays should organize special events in which those in blue collar fields discuss what they do and the backgrounds required.

I would be honored to talk about career paths in physical security. Post-9-11, my industry collapsed.  I had to shutter my business. While I was figuring out the next I grabbed a contract position in that niche. It had been cognitive therapist Amy Karnilowicz who guided me about taking that step. Back then such a "radical" idea about how to earn income would never have occurred to me.

Quickly I was offered a supervisory job. My work ethic was noticed. I looked into what certification – as well as skills such as use of a firearm – would get me ahead.

That didn’t happen because I was getting a hang of digital. Soon enough I put together a start-up in that. When clients asked for coaching I added on that to the “menu.”

Takeaway: As members of the Professional Class experience rightsizing in industries the traditional differences between white and blue collars will continue to blur.

Intuitive career coaching, with the option to use the Tarot, about your present and your next. Step back from that committee in your head and open to possibility.  Sliding Scale Fees. Please make an appointment for a complimentary consultation at janegenova374@gmail.com.