So what mystical magical thing is Maura on about today? Blue collar employment and its viability. Since many of us regardless of where we are, are becoming familiar with items missing from store shelves so let’s begin with truck drivers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) there were 1,951,600 actual drivers in the U.S. during 2020 and projected openings of 231,100 each year through 2030 with many openings being through drivers retiring or moving on to other careers. In 2020 the average pay was $47,130 or an equivalent of $22.66 an hour with some carriers advertising rates as high as 70 cents per mile (CPM) now if we assume 60 Miles per hour (MPH) at $0.70 that’s $42 an hour or $87,360 annually! Now let’s be realistic only Long Haul Truckers (LHT) are going to get that kind of pay and that truck is pretty much their home for weeks on end.

According to the Census Bureau bout 88% of truck drivers are self employed and about 10% of the force is female owned. All this for a job that requires no college and only minimal training that is frequently covered by your first employer in the field.

Heavy equipment operators, again we are using BLS numbers.

There were 457,200 operators in the U.S. during 2020 with projected openings of 51,500 a year from 2020 through 2030. Average pay is $49,100 or $23.61 an hour for a job that is either trained at a Union school or on the job and requires no college. According to Data USA 97.8% of the work force is male with an average age of about 43.

Now what do heavy equipment operators do? They operate cranes, track hoes, back hoes, asphalt pavers, heavy rollers, the really BIG dump trucks in quarries, basically if it moves dirt or rock, or dismembers old buildings it’s a heavy equipment operator running it.

Welding, again according to BLS pay is on average $44,190 per year or $21.25 an hour. As of 2020 there were 418,200 persons in the field with expected openings of 49,200 a year from 2020 through 2030. This job has two routes, take classes for certification(s) or get an associates degree in welding, both get you the same job but one lets you learn now and pay later. The advantage is many community colleges offer the classes so you are paying lower fees to learn and sometimes you can even get grants. According to Zippia 89.9% of the work force is male and about age 40.

Pipe-fitter, now let’s get the “Duh” portion out of the way; pipe fitters get this, fit pipe together! Be it mechanically, welded, brazed, or glued, they assemble pipe based upon design or replacement need. According to BLS data they earn an average of $56,330 a year or $27.80 an hour with projected job openings of 51,000 a year through 2030. This is an apprenticeship career path, there will be some schooling involved but that is usually handled at a Union level so again no college degree required.

There are other blue collar jobs out there such as butcher, baker, cook, landscaper, some pay really well, others pay the minimum an employer can get away with in the area they are located in—there’s a reason factories set up where they do, cost of land, and hourly cost of people.

Now based on just the list I have assembled we have annual job opening s of 382,800 that require little or no college. Some you could be working in a couple of weeks others a few months.

A simple search will show that people have been arguing against pushing college educations since at least 2015 and I know from experience with my own children (my son who is 30 is a mortician and my daughter who is 27 is a welder) and their friends were all pushed through school from an early age with the attitude of “that won’t get you into college” and “that’s not how it will be in college” not once did an advisor or teacher recommend trade school or talking to Unions or contractors, let me repeat that: not once.

Are there lots of blue collar jobs out there? Yes, because not everyone can be a manager doctor, lawyer, or an engineer. Do they all pay great wages? Sadly no, but have you ever had to call a plumber on a holiday weekend? How about someone like me who is an HVAC technician? You need that blue collar person desperately enough and you’re going to pay whatever they ask weather it’s because your house is 45F/7C or because you have nowhere to poop.