hard working, highly educated individuals?

Question

are you ever secretly jealous of people that have "blue collar" jobs?

I'm a PhD student in electrical engineering, and sometimes I secretly want to stop it become a florist.

Answer 1

Yes. And I actually left the office for a "blue collar" job. I was really excited to be "Blue Collar." I was so naive.

The hours were long, the pay sucked, I had to punch in and out with a time clock, my life schedule was dictated by a bell. The bell told me what time to start, eat, break, leave. Instead of multi-tasking and planning, I did one task at a time, which was awesome. Instead of dressing for success, I dressed for safety. We got blamed a lot by the management, for poor planning on their part.

I showered when I woke up and when I got home. I poured a great deal of sweat and love into my work. Weeks would go by during which I questioned my decision and the direction of my life. I was exhausted all the time. We were treated like hell.

The office was air-conditioned. The shop was not. It was freezing in the winter, sweltering in the summer. If I wasn’t working underneath something, I was on my feet. Bathroom breaks were a welcome relief.

I haven’t even mentioned the humor. Oh the humor. And the posters. Lots of annoying girly posters up on tool boxes.

These “Blue Collar” people I keep hearing about, they work hard, really hard, and they are a hell of lot smarter than I am. They have families, dirt bikes, SUVs, they generally vote for the opposite of what I believe, and they have saved my life again and again.

A florist is a completely different experience from what I describe. If you really feel so compelled, I say do it. You will sacrifice a lot, and you will be uncomfortable, you will be tested, and you WILL learn a lot.

My best to you.

Answer 2

Haha, that's awesome, but I wouldn't consider florist a blue collar job. More artistic, and if you really have a gift, you could make serious money! Why not try it on the side through financing a little flower shop in the future?

I know how you feel though. I'm an analyst at an investment bank and sometimes when i go out for my 10 minute lunch, i am so jealous of all the people who get to be walking around shopping in jeans and a t-shirt on a tuesday afternoon!

Answer 3

i know someone whos got PhD in Law, shes a cashier of a pharmacy store. Simple as it seems but she is amazed by the idea that she could help save life by working as a cashier in a pharmacy.

A florist is challenging job. You get to be part of a creation of a beautiful thing.

Finish your PhD and become a florist.

Answer 4

What's stopping you?

"The thing about money ... it makes you do things you don't want to do." - Wall Street

A career is something we put so much into. We put time, heart, and vision into it. Sometimes, however, we give it the wrong responsibilities. For something that we devote so much to, I believe we should get more from it.

I'm not particularly jealous of anyone with a blue collar job, because my passion happens to be business and finance. I like to be creative and be challenged, so what I have found does manage to satisfy that for me. However, there are a lot of things that I look forward to enjoying which don't necessarily bring me money or may even cost me money. So instead of looking at money, I look at value....

The money I get from something is eventually going to be turned into something that isn't money. It could be a big house. It could be an expensive dinner. Money is just the medium, the placeholder. I'm working to provide value to my life, not paper.

So when I do something that gets me something other than money, maybe just pure pleasure or a sense of accomplishment, is that a bad thing? Not at all. I'm just skipping the middle man and going straight to the value. The only problem is that with the establishment of currency, money is something we must have. To me, finding a way to provide money without "doing something I don't want to do" is an adventure. Having the freedom to be able to do the things of value is the result.

Personally, I can see where you're coming from. The average work week is supposed to be 40 hours. For many, it's longer. Multiply that by the 50 or so weeks in a year that they work, and you have around 2000 hours. The first time I thought about it that way, it just seemed so unrealistic. And it is. Variety (ever studied diminishing returns in economy?) makes each activity more valuable. If I had an obligation to commit 2000 hours a year to one thing, I'd feel awfully chained down also.

But you say "sometimes" you secretly want to, so I don't want to assume you're completely serious about wanting to be a florist. I say if it's what you want, start looking for a way to do it without sacrificing the things you want to keep. It's definitely possible. Too many people set themselves up to look back at their lives and say, "I wish," or, "If only...."

The moment you decide you can't do something, that creative, ambitious part of your brain goes back to sleep. It's never too late or too early to start exercising it. Bulk up that goal-driven part of yourself and be the person who looks back on his or her life and says, "I'm definitely glad I...."

Answer 5

I work hard and get paid much less than some guys doing absolutely nothing... Then I realise that everything in life is not about money, you can die tomorrow and have millions in the bank that someone else will enjoy, making that kind of money though takes allot of time, and people tend to forget what life is all about, they forget to live it, that's a sad but true fact.... So I'll rather have a average income and and enjoy my life..

Answer 6

all i can tell you is, never take it for granted. you said sometimes you want to just become a florist. i can see why you say that, because you probably work so hard. but there are some ppl out there that just wish they could work, i cant work, i have been disabled since i was 11 years old. i was a cheerleader and messed up my back and my legs,

anyways, long story short. never take it for granted. be thankful you are who you are. that you worked your *** off to get there. and never look down on others that arent there.

Answer 7

Never.

I had to hold a few blue collar jobs between IT jobs, one of which included loading trailers for a package delivery company.

I respect what everybody does, but personally, I strongly prefer to be sitting at a desk, in front of a computer, in an air-conditioned environment - like i am now.

Answer 8

I sometimes feel like people don't like me because I am not out working hard and sweating all day. I used to I promise, but life is so much happier when I get home now after sitting in the AC all day.

Answer 9

I know what you mean, it would be nice to be a gardener or something similar. Spending 8 hours or more in a cubicle gets old fast.

But then again, I make many times what I would at that job. So, I count my blessings.

Answer 10

Then become a florist. You can do anything you want.