What exactly is a blue collar job? No, it doesn’t mean your uniform is a blue polo and khakis. In fact, a blue collar job is classified as manual labor with hourly wage. The term, blue collar, originates from 19th century uniforms in industrial workplaces. Workers had to wear durable clothing that could be soiled or scrapped at work and in most cases; they were light or navy blue in color.
A recent article on Yahoo Hot Jobs lists the Ten Highest-Paying Blue Collar Jobs with salaries ranging from $87,000 to $57,000. To check out the top ten jobs, click here.
Most blue collar jobs require a high school diploma or GED but also some sort of specialized training, certification or apprenticeship. Americolleges.com offers school training centers that specialize in several trade and technical careers that lead to great blue collar jobs. For example, ATI – Miami offers training programs in Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration, and Appliances and Electronic Systems Technology. South Texas Vo-Tech offers training programs in not only Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration but Combination Welding as well. Starting a career as a trade or technical worker is great for people who work well with their hands, are hard working and learn quickly.
Blue collar jobs will continually be available because there will always be buildings that need air conditioning, heating, refrigeration and other servicves that break down and need to be repaired. In general, blue collar jobs offer steady work and higher than average salaries.
