The Macmillan dictionary defines a blue collar job as a job in the working class which is performed by manual laborer. Blue collar jobs can be classified into two main groups; unskilled blue collar job and skilled blue collar job. Many blue collar jobs are found in mining, mechanical, technical installation, construction, manufacturing and many other sectors which offer jobs that use the use of physical energy. They are commonly available during construction or maintenance of things. Workers carrying out blue collar tasks in most cases are paid according to the number of hours they provide their services, at the end of the project being constructed or in rare cases they are usually salaried. Blue color workers do not have a common scale of pay and their remuneration is based on experience and maybe, area of specialization.
White collar jobs on the other hand are usually performed in an office setting and in most cases the blue collar worker could be found sitting in front of a desk and/or computer. Compared to blue collar jobs, many societies have standardized scale of pay for their white collar workers which in most cases is paid on monthly basis. The remuneration of white color workers depends on area of specialization and experience is not a key consideration.
Contrary to the traditional perspective, most of the blue collar jobs require that the work should have fine hand eye coordination, accurate estimation and use of electronic tools properly. Many blue collar workers do not usually acquire these skills by going to conventional classes. They learn them through experience when they are working. Nevertheless, the fact that these skills are typically learned on the job does not mean they require less intellectualism. In fact, some of this skills earned through experience are very technical and many minds that went through the traditional class might not be able to understand it.
If we take a blue collar job in construction as an example, the skill of hand eye coordination is very important in this field. The blue collar worker needs to not only know how to mix material, they also need to know consistency, size as well as proportion. To be better workers, construction workers must know how to install commercial, residential and industrial machinery. In addition, technology keeps changing and this leads to production of new tools every now and then. The blue collar worker has to know how to use modern tools which makes imperative the need to keep learning and knowing how to use the latest tools in the market though they do not participate in manufacture or assembling of these tools (Wickman 255).
The social perspective towards blue collar jobs is not appealing in any way. For example it holds that blue collar jobs require more physical than intellectual work. This leads the society to allude that blue collar jobs require people with a lesser IQ. Anybody who earns a living by doing a blue collar job will tell you that to carry out a specialized blue collar job you need both the physical and intellectual muscle. Both of them are necessary for the worker to be able to complete a recommendable task. Take the job of a carpenter as an example, the carpenter needs to be able to measure and construct very accurate angles to make good furniture. This requires energy and intellect. Neither of the requirements is substandard or unnecessary. The social perspective towards blue collar jobs is not only inaccurate, but also biased. Most of the people will agree that blue collar jobs are the only jobs that demand that the worker employs both their muscles and IQ at the same time. This emphasizes Rose’s point that that a skilled laborer adopts both mind and body when they are working. This objective perspective will change the attitude of upper class families who require their children to work behind office’s desk to gain job satisfaction.
A white collar job like that of a pharmacy technician requires the worker should possess a strong basic and mathematics skill. They have to be very careful to prevent possible errors with prescriptions and are require upholding high ethical standards on top of good communication skill.
The social perspective towards white collar job is over exaggerated and is associated with higher social status which automatically makes society to believe that workers are more intelligent due to formal education (Wickman 312).
In conclusion, an accurate approach is to point out that although physical labor is a necessary for blue collar jobs, the need for intelligent can never be over emphasized. The difference is as a result of specialization and both of the skills are important. A pharmacy technician can not build a house like construction worker; neither can a construction worker prescribe medication. Intelligent is an indispensable necessity to both works but only different form. The faster we understand this point the better the society can appreciate all our workers because it will realize that both blue collar and white collar workers are necessary for the harmony of the society.
Work Cited
Wickman, Forrest. Working Man's Blues: Why do we call manual laborers blue collar? Oxford: Oxford university press, 2009. Print.
