Are white collar jobs any better or worse than blue collar jobs? Is there a difference between blue collar and white collar workers when it comes to manners, problem-solving skills, and overall attitude?
I came upon an interesting forum discussion the other day where someone asked what it was like to be "intelligent" yet take up blue collar jobs. And whether working with your hands is less noble than working with your brain. Blue collar work came out as the more favored of the two. Here is a snippet of some of the comments that ensued.
"Just because you work with your hands does not mean you are stupid."
"Manual work with others is an engaging experience in team work."
"Being smart never made anyone happy."
"The brain is just another organ like the muscle that you use to pull weight. If you are strong, you move thngs. If you are smart, you organize things. It's all about pulling weight and none of it should get more or less respect."
"Blue collar work is harder. You must be aware of everything around you. It's more precise with less room for error."
And on and on.
I've had the pleasure of working in pink collar jobs (service jobs), white collar jobs, low paying jobs, and high paying jobs. I somehow find that the people in blue collar jobs tend to be more real. That's just my perception.
But on the other hand, according to the theory of multiple intelligences, we all have 7 intelligences or smarts -- book smart, people smart, body smart, picture smart, music smart, logic smart, and self smart. According to the theory, we all have these smarts in us, but there will be one that is most dominant. In other words, being "book smart" is not the only way to be smart.
Since we are all smart in different ways, in my opinion it does not matter what collar color you work in. As long as you love what you do and are good at it.
Share your thoughts with us. Do you believe that blue collar jobs are any better than white collar jobs and vice versa? Do you see a difference in attitude between the people who work in them?
Do share!
