Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 10 Highest-Paying Blue-Collar Jobs

Y'all notice gunsmiths ain't listed, don't you?

blue collar, mick... not blue barrel....

I do not know about you guys but around here there less and less young people actually learning a trade. It seems a lot of high school kids I talk to think they will get a 60k a year job just by going to college. I'm not knocking college at all but I have interviewed people right out of college and most of them expect to start out at mid level or above. It's really funny when the degree they have does not even apply to the job. I interviewed a guy not to long ago that had a degree in forestry which was great but we do not grow trees we generate power.

I have an Engineering Degree. One of my promotions 20 years ago was taking over the Stamping & Four-slide departments, including the toolroom. Seven toolmakers and three machinists.

They all had different personalities, but the senior toolmaker was a real character. One day his false teeth were hurting him, and he got mad, pulled them out, chucked them in a vise, and started grinding on them with a die grinder. The rest of the toolroom was red faced, trying not to laugh out loud. He was also pretty damn talented, too. He made some pretty ingenious tools, like one small stainless auto sunvisor clip, that was almost wrapped around itself. Even the guys he argued with a lot admitted he was talented.

When word got around that I was leaving that company, he exclaimed, "Damn it, he was the only one left with any common sense!". I guess he thought I was okay, too

I get people who apply all the time "with a college degree" who literally would take less money if they got to wear a tie to work instead of jeans and walking out to the shop a few times a day.

They aren't interested in actually doing anything. It's about the job title they can tell their friends what it is.

Me and my father both have had guys who work in the office who one day say their too good to even walk out to the shop and converse with the shop people and want a flunkie for that job. That's the last day they work here.

I guess I grew up funny. I grew up knowing a LOT of small business owners and the richest people I knew wore jeans and work boots to work everday and yet still manage to make multi millions a year.

And what would a dentist do, pull them out and start grinding on them with a die grinder...

Yep

What's a beer cost at the Great Alaskan Bush Company now $10.00?

Dad had his college education interrupted by WWII, and his young English bride & children. He eventually wound up with his own garage and put three kids through college. He did okay, and is one of the hardest working people I ever met. My brother & I both worked our way through high school & college in his garage, as mechanics. I'm still not shy about getting my hands dirty in the shop.

I saw one guy once with a Masters degree in Engineering, who had been tasked with supervising one production department. One of the grinders needed new jig bushings. It was a comical two days as he kept asking me for one thing after another. First the bushings themselves, then a punch to drive them out, then a hammer. After I finally gave them all to him, he had to come to me and finally admit he had no idea how to change bushings on the machine, and none of his employees would admit they did, either. I had to send a machinist over to do it for him. He wasn't arrogant, just inexperienced.

Lots of guys (and a few girls) like the idea of designing and fixing stuff and go into engineering. Some folks get better training than others. The ones who don't like to get their hands dirty, or think that they're better than the people in the shop usually are a big pain in the office, too. I have no use for them.

The pest control technician visited my home today and in the course of the inspection, we discussed a number of things - kids, football, guns and police operations.

He had been a county police officer and been shot twice (he had been on the SWAT squad) and knifed once in the 9 years he was on the force. He had the scars to prove it and when he described his last time being shot, I recalled the event from period news articles. The last shooting was in 2001 and he was making $61,000 a year.

While he was recuperating (2001), his home was being inspected for terminates and he got to talking to the technician. He learned that the technician was making $72,000 a year (at the time) and had a very low risk of being shot. He switched careers soon after. I don�t know what he is making now, but it is certainly more that in 2001.

and still worth every penny

RN

I am paid hourly. I have a union. I make over 40 bucks an hour.

goalie. Nothin' personal man, but some of the stuff you have to do, I wouldn't do for any amount of money. I work in a Hospital and like my boiler room just fine. Ken

I guess we Correctional Officers in CA are considered Professionals instead of blue collar - but its still blue collar non college education work, and it paid better than the top job here, until Gov. Arnold S broke the law and made us slaves for three days every 4 weeks.

Just got through eating shrimp with a friend who will be headed back to Afghanistan after the first of the year. He will be making over 200 grand this go around as an instructor. I guess with all the risk goes the rewards.

Just seeing this after working 20 hours of OT in the two days due to our first wet snow of the year.


Lets see................ that comes out to about, well lets just say I'm not complaining

Locomotive Engineer or Conductor is going to be in the $80k to $120K range from day one,depending how much you want to let the company work you.

How would you like to be Lee24's toolmaker?

I worked in the Hospital for 30 plus years in critical care. People live and they die , you get used to it.

At my current job, I spend a lot of time at a little manual Hardinge precision lathe turning things like this out of 304 stainless.

There's worse ways to make a living, I suppose.