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> IMO blue collar work is a better option because it's easier work and more stable Did you ever do blue collar work as well as software engineering? Because I

by lucb1e 7y ago

> IMO blue collar work is a better option because it's easier work and more stable Did you ever do blue collar work as well as software engineering? Because I have no idea in which version of this world physical labor is preferable over a chill 9-5 desk job that typically comes with a higher salary. Unless free medical issues is your thing, then physical labor is absolutely the way to go. I did hear some horror stories of programming jobs in Spain where someone got unlucky with their employers, maybe this is based on one or two of such stories or experiences? I'm sure there are also good workplaces in blue collar, even if they're few and far between, you might have gotten unlucky in software development and lucky in blue collar. I'm honestly wondering if your comment is part of an experiment with whether a thoughtful-sounding but incorrect comment, starting with a disclaimer like "unpopular opinion" to make it sound like an opinion rather than a statement, can be accepted by the community as correct.

momokoko 7y ago
The point is that in a high wage country it is actually more difficult to outsource, or h-1b a "blue collar" job than a software job. Therefore it will always have significantly less competition and downward pressure on income. I personally switched out of software not too long ago and could not agree more about how much time I enjoy not thinking about work or my career and instead spending it on my personal projects and my family and friends. Obviously I make a lot less money and I have the luxury of not having a family to support, but I certainly would say that the day-to-day life of my blue collar job is significantly better, for me, than my previous software job.
ClumsyPilot 7y ago
A job does not become 'chill' just because you get to sit on your arse in a chair. There is plenty of stress in 'office jobs', enough to lead people to suicide, drugs, and dying of exhaustion - in UK that happened to an unpaid intern in banking. Your mind is a thing in itself and the social environment matters much more than whether you get to sit. I am quite happily to do weeks of home repairs, soldering. Electronics assembly, etc. Ofcourse thats not hard physical labour, but neither is most blue collar work.
- lucb1e 7y ago
  > in UK that happened to an unpaid intern in banking. Note that events, in general, must be rare to make the news. In this case it sounds like it's not even a new trend they're reporting on but a single person in all of the UK. For all I know, that person was going to go off the rails regardless of what job they had (most people doing office jobs can handle an office job, either by dealing with it or deciding to do something else, so why couldn't this intern? I think you'll agree it's just not representative). But of course, that doesn't make your comment wrong. You're right that I overstated how chill an office job is and I agree with the rest of your comment. Doing an office job myself and knowing a lot of people that do, I know it can be plenty stressful, and sometimes very stressful for a long time. It's not necessarily chill just because you sit down. Mental problems can be just as bad as or worse than physical problems, total agree there. But even though the best blue collar workplaces will surely score better than the worst office workplaces, I think that the average for an office worker is better pay, better benefits, better health, and higher job satisfaction. Therefore I do feel like the person I was replying to is either trolling (or, as a variant of that, testing with different comment styles to have controversial content accepted, but Hanlon's razor probably applies instead), or saw only outliers.

by lucb1e 7y ago

momokoko 7y ago

The point is that in a high wage country it is actually more difficult to outsource, or h-1b a "blue collar" job than a software job. Therefore it will always have significantly less competition and downward pressure on income. I personally switched out of software not too long ago and could not agree more about how much time I enjoy not thinking about work or my career and instead spending it on my personal projects and my family and friends. Obviously I make a lot less money and I have the luxury of not having a family to support, but I certainly would say that the day-to-day life of my blue collar job is significantly better, for me, than my previous software job.

ClumsyPilot 7y ago

A job does not become 'chill' just because you get to sit on your arse in a chair. There is plenty of stress in 'office jobs', enough to lead people to suicide, drugs, and dying of exhaustion - in UK that happened to an unpaid intern in banking. Your mind is a thing in itself and the social environment matters much more than whether you get to sit. I am quite happily to do weeks of home repairs, soldering. Electronics assembly, etc. Ofcourse thats not hard physical labour, but neither is most blue collar work.

lucb1e 7y ago
> in UK that happened to an unpaid intern in banking. Note that events, in general, must be rare to make the news. In this case it sounds like it's not even a new trend they're reporting on but a single person in all of the UK. For all I know, that person was going to go off the rails regardless of what job they had (most people doing office jobs can handle an office job, either by dealing with it or deciding to do something else, so why couldn't this intern? I think you'll agree it's just not representative). But of course, that doesn't make your comment wrong. You're right that I overstated how chill an office job is and I agree with the rest of your comment. Doing an office job myself and knowing a lot of people that do, I know it can be plenty stressful, and sometimes very stressful for a long time. It's not necessarily chill just because you sit down. Mental problems can be just as bad as or worse than physical problems, total agree there. But even though the best blue collar workplaces will surely score better than the worst office workplaces, I think that the average for an office worker is better pay, better benefits, better health, and higher job satisfaction. Therefore I do feel like the person I was replying to is either trolling (or, as a variant of that, testing with different comment styles to have controversial content accepted, but Hanlon's razor probably applies instead), or saw only outliers.