r/bluecollar

Hey guys I’m looking for advice on whether or not I should go blue collar. I’m 21 and I’m current in college that my parents are paying for. (Just barely) I also play college basketball. I’m a rising junior but I won’t be graduating until 2029-2030ish. So I will be around 23-24. I’m looking to get a nursing a degree. But I feel like if I were to get into the blue collar field now while im still living with my parents. I can build wealth into my 30s a lot quicker. The only expense I would have is buying my first car. I’m willing to give up on college basketball but idk what I should do. Keep in mind I don’t know if my parents will be able to afford to keep paying for college.

I was asking if people had the same problems as me a couple of weeks ago. After reading loads of replies on here, it seems like work trousers always force a compromise:

- durable but stiff/restrictive
or
- flexible/comfortable but weak at the stress points

Does anyone feel like there’s actually a pair that properly balances both?

What up dudes need new work works, preferably slip ons/ cowboy boys. I just want some that are comfy and gonna last I weight about 290 and walk like 15 k steps a day so if yall could give me your favs that’ll help

4797635296
MUCH APPRECIATED

I'm noticing my back pain is getting a lot worse over the past few weeks. (Diesel mechanic medium duty pickups etc)

I don't know what I'm doing different but I need some advice haha.

Does anyone have any decent stools or chairs to recommend. I do a lot of standing while working, I'm sure that definitely contributes to the back pain.

I have a husband who works very hard and is stressed out a lot. I also work, but definitely not as hard as him and not as many hours. I cook and do housework etc. I also always tell him how much I appreciate him and think hes doing great. But what mare some other things that you have found just make your life better that your partner can do for you ?

Context: I'm building a small "ecosystem" project to help local trades run smoother back-office stuff. Before I write a line of code, I want to do about 30 customer discovery calls.

I started with landscaping, and now I'm talking to HVAC and plumbing owners because the business model is fascinating and brutal in the same ways: seasonal demand spikes, techs and crews you can't find or keep, equipment and material costs up double digits, and customers who want a quote yesterday and financing to match.

What I'm NOT doing: selling software, recruiting, or asking for referrals.

What I AM doing: 20-minute conversations about:

• where profit leaks (pricing jobs with last year's material costs, scope creep on maintenance, unbilled drive time and supply runs)
• what you wish ran on autopilot (scheduling, dispatch, inventory, invoicing, follow-ups, crew check-ins)
• Hiring and retention? what actually keeps a good tech or crew lead vs what job boards promise
• the tools you actually like vs the 7+ tabs you tolerate to run the business

If you've owned, run, or managed an HVAC, plumbing, or landscaping shop (residential or commercial, 2 trucks or 50), I'd be grateful for your perspective. I'll send you the anonymized notes afterward so you can see how you compare to others... no names, just patterns.

Comment or DM, and we can do phone, Zoom, or even just a DM thread if that's easier. Based in WA but happy to talk to anyone in US/Canada.

Thanks for considering! and mods, please remove if this isn't allowed. Just trying to learn from operators, not marketers.

Ill keep it short…I work at a rather large company for the industry I am in. It is as blue collar as blue collar gets, very hands on, very strenuous, very physically demanding work. To add to it, it is a same day service. We are not cheap, this I know.

The number of clients who we deal with that expect it to be FREE, not even just cheap but literally not a penny FREE…blows my mind. What kind of moron must you be to expect a blue collar service to be free?? I have never in my life ever heard of such a thing, especially when it comes to the kind of work we are doing. I couldn’t imagine the look on a plumbers face or a roofers face or a painters face if they were expected to do work for free, any service industry for that matter. I seriously cant think of anything that is truly free outside of warranty coverage or quality guarantees and narcane.

POSTAGE STAMPS AREN’T FREE!! STICKERS!!!

Why on earth would you to call someone (often multi man crews) out to your house, have them arrive same day within 3hrs of booking to do tedious manual labor you have admitted you were incapable of doing and expect it to be free?!?!? Go to a restaurant or a car dealership, a grocery store, literally anything and ask them if it’s free and I am quite sure they will openly laugh at you. Let’s not forget we are in NOVA, I don’t think the word cheap let alone free has ever been used to describe the cost of anything here.

Idk what it is but holy shit how can people be this dumb, if you or any of your idiot friends are reading this and relate to it…fuck you, explain to me how that shit makes sense.

Edit: Lol I didn’t know the occupation would be a big deal. Im a mover/ hauler.

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HVAC techs:

what actually wears your body down the most over time?

Heat?
Attics/crawlspaces?
Repetitive lifting?
Weird positioning?
Long hours?

I feel like people outside the industry massively underestimate the physical strain, on and I am starting to see it myself.

It seems like there's still some guys in the industrial sector that wear blue or grey button up work shirts. Seems like everyone else just wears t-shirts, hi vis depending on the setting.

I’m 21F, and an aspiring welder, going to pre-employment classes at SAIT in September. I’m ordering my AIT blue-book this week as well. Ultimately, I want to be double-ticketed as a welder and a pipe fitter, but welding’s been my main interest from the start.

I’ve wanted to pursue a career in welding for a long, long time. I finally got my foot in the door through a program called Women Building Futures. You can probably guess from the name, it’s a program that helps women get into the trades and gives them a bunch of safety certification and a bit of hands-on experience.

Throughout the program, I’ve been hearing conflicting narratives regarding women in the trades, and how they’re viewed and treated. And I just want to get a little more insight on the matter, in regard to welders specifically. Will most welders really care about me being a woman? Or will I just be judged by my ability to show up on time and actually do a decent job? Would most Journeymen generally be unphased about teaching a female-apprentice?

I’m a little bit tomboyish, so hopefully that helps me blend in a bit, but I’m still not gonna kid myself about being “one of the guys”. I’m really hoping I can just keep my head down and manage to fit in, I hear a lot of women gravitate towards welding, so hopefully I won’t be the only woman in the shop or on site.

Any personal insight or experience from anyone would be appreciated. I just want to know what I should expect and what I can do to help myself fit in.

I'm an apprentice who quite literally just started last week. My boss says that due to a lack of work in our area he tends to lay all of us off in the winter then re-hores us for the summer. However, I want to be working and learning all year and not having an awkward switchover.

In my situation, would you take the unemployment for a few months or try to switch companies? I love the company I'm with right now and the paperwork that makes me an apprentice is still in the works.