You have more than likely come across the terms blue collar and white collar in the field of employment. These two distinctions simply differentiate the kind of labor that each specific tag of work involves, whereby blue-collar jobs are generally manual while white-collar jobs are office-based. Each has its merits and demerits, but one thing that they have in common is that they can offer you the ability to make money and live a life that’s free of debt. There are a few other things that can be used to tell apart each one of these types of employment, and they’re discussed in detail below.
The Work Setting
The first point of difference between blue-collar jobs and white-collar jobs is the work settings for each. For blue-collar jobs, which are generally going to be more manual as mentioned, you can expect that the work setting will be out in the open. Work will involve going to an outdoor site or a factory where various tasks can be done, such as crafting and packaging. An example of a blue-collar job in this case is that of a roofer, where a roofer’s typical day will involve doing roof repairs or replacements. How busy they are will depend on how many clients they have, with the typical roof lasting between 25 and 50 years, according to Roofer’s Guild.
White-collar jobs, on the other hand, will typically be in an office setting, and they’ll involve managerial and administrative tasks. For this, workers will go to an office where they’ll be involved in brainstorming, strategic thinking, planning, and ideation. You can expect a typical day in this job type to be spent in an office or cubicle for the entirety of the work day.
The Barriers to Entry
Another point of difference to note between these two is the barriers to entry. Since blue-collar jobs are mostly manual and involve tasks that are worked on by hand, some may argue that blue-collar jobs have a lower barrier to entry. A better way to look at this, however, is to state that the barriers to entry to blue-collar jobs are simply different from those for white-collar jobs.
Someone can have exceptional skills with their hands, making them impressive at something like being an auto mechanic. This does not mean that they’re not as skilled as their peer who is a professional gamer or a doctor. That said, it may be best to say that each type of employment calls for a different set of skills in terms of barriers to entry.
The Amount Payable in Wages
The third difference between blue-collar jobs and white-collar jobs is the amount that one may earn in wages. As blue-collar jobs call for manual skills, they may fetch a lower pay if you go by the hours of work that one can put in for each. That’s because a single person can only offer so much output within reason, and so there’s bound to be a limit to how much they can make. That said, one may have manual skills that are specialized and therefore in high enough demand to be paid a premium wage. Take athletes, for instance, if sports were to be considered as work.
On the other hand, there are white-collar jobs that require a mix of education, training, and manual skills. One of these is dentistry, which calls for a considerable length of time in school alongside a number of both soft and hard skills. According to the American Dental Association, there were 202,536 professionally active dentists in the U.S. in 2022, and each one of those professionals spent time in school in order to get to where they are now.
These are the main differences between blue-collar jobs and white-collar jobs. They should give you a better idea of what to expect if you choose a particular career to venture into. As such, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting involved in, and you’re bound to have an easier time navigating the employment scene.
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