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Myth 5
Skilled trades jobs are not “glamorous” or
“respectable” enough
In 2009, the Ridge Tool Company (better known as RIDGID, a
leading manufacturer of tools and equipment) did a survey
of teenagers to find out why they weren’t more interested in
pursuing education or career paths in the skilled trades. One of
the key takeaways from this study was the following statistic: 37
percent of survey respondents weren’t interested in the trades
in part because they believed “working in an office is more
respected than working with your hands.”
This belief isn’t new. For generations, there has been a stigma that
“manual labor” or “blue collar” jobs—many of which fall under the
umbrella of the skilled trades—are not as respectable as office-
based “white collar” jobs.
This misconception is linked to another one: that white collar jobs
pay more and require higher education and more “intelligence”
than skilled trades jobs. Our society often prizes things like wealth,
education, and status above all else, which could explain why
teenagers who conflate the skilled trades with blue collar work
assume that those jobs don’t command or deserve the same level
of respect as an executive who works in a high-rise office.
As we’ve already explored, though, many skilled trades roles
require their own uniquely lofty level of skill, training, and
certification—to the point where a skilled blue collar worker can
actually often command a higher salary and better benefits than a
mid-level office employee.
Ultimately, the true myth here is the idea that there is any one way
of defining what it means to be a “respectable” or “professional”
person. Many skilled trades workers are extremely good at their
jobs, take a great deal of pride in what they do, earn a good living
to support themselves and their families, and do work that has a