> It could simply be that everybody knows that blue collar job are eventually going to disappear. You don't want to build your latest factory using technology t

> It could simply be that everybody knows that blue collar job are eventually going to disappear. You don't want to build your latest factory using technology that will make you obsolete in a few years. Plumbers are not going to disappear. There is heaps of repair work that won't disappear. But beyond repair, look at construction. There are all sorts of claims about how 3D printing and full automation of house construction is coming, but go and look at almost any construction site you see. (edit: Innovation is hard with construction in part because people want things that will definitely last 50 years. Fail fast is great on a web app, but what about failure in 10 years because 3D printed concrete doesn't work correctly in your location? How about brick laying robots cement failing in 15 years when the company is insolvent? Are you up for the risk? ) Power tools introduced in the 1950s or earlier have made a huge difference, but these jobs do not appear to be disappearing. In Australia I've heard of teachers and people who can write mean python code quitting to become builders. People with power tools are productive and very flexible. We're a long way off from a machine that can attach a deck to a house and make a hole in a wall for a window.