Respectable blue-collar jobs

[Eamonnca1]

My course was a joke... Management and Information Systems (There was also a different course Business Information Technology which was basically the same). Half wishy washy business studies and half wishy washy IT where we did a bit of VB programming and a few access databases!!

It was pushed really hard by the careers adviser in my school (13 from my school were in my Course and only 5 of us graduated) and it sounded computery and businessy so was presumed good but most of the class went on to be accountants and I'm in sales... .along with that the course was 9 hours a week for 3 years!!

If I were to send any of my kids to University it would be for a vocational course, physio, speech therapy, engineering but I think the days of 9 hour a week courses & generic business degrees will disappear soon enough because they prepare students for absolutely nothing!!

PS. I've just noticed my course isn't even offered in Queens anymore!!

Mine wasn't too bad. 1st two years was a HND, the 2nd two years was a BEng degree in Manufacturing Engineering. The HND bit was disappointing, I had to work harder for my BTEC National Diploma at Lurgan Tech than I did for the HND. The proper degree course put me through my paces though, it was tough going and was a great experience.

[armaghniac]

I saw this elsewhere.
It illustrates the expansion of graduate type jobs in Ireland. It also says something about the UK which has seen more low skill jobs and less high skill jobs than Ireland, perhaps informing the Brexit debate.

Of course some of this may be that there are now more graduates and so some jobs that didn't need a degree now do, without any real change in the job.

[stew]

Just a thought, is there such a thing as a job that is not respectful?

I am stocking shelves and doing manual labor for the first time in my life and I tell you what, I am enjoying the exercise.

[J70]

Just a thought, is there such a thing as a job that is not respectful?

I am stocking shelves and doing manual labor for the first time in my life and I tell you what, I am enjoying the exercise.

I'd stock shelves in a heartbeat if I could afford to live off it. No stress, no worries to bring home, immediate satisfaction of a job completed.

As for the general point about a job being respectable, I think it all depends on the person occupying the job.

An immigrant from a poor country, with no education, working 70 hours a week on minimum wage would be seen as a hard-working person trying to get ahead, or at least would be by any non-prejudiced arsehole. Similarly, a 15 year old working a few hours on Saturday to make some pocket money.

I worked fast food, washed dishes, sold xmas trees, did clerical work and did other types of crappy jobs to keep myself going through college. Even had to do low wage work for a while after I moved back to the US before I got myself a decent job. I got patronized and talked down to many times. Of course, its amazing how quickly people's attitudes change when they find out that you're also working towards an advanced education.

[screenexile]

Just a thought, is there such a thing as a job that is not respectful?

I am stocking shelves and doing manual labor for the first time in my life and I tell you what, I am enjoying the exercise.

Personally it means nothing to me what a person works at in life... I've come across stupid people doing degree/Masters level jobs and extremely intelligent people brushing floors/labouring!!!

A persons job wouldn't be a barometer for respect in my opinion.

[Tony Baloney]

Just a thought, is there such a thing as a job that is not respectful?

I am stocking shelves and doing manual labor for the first time in my life and I tell you what, I am enjoying the exercise.

Personally it means nothing to me what a person works at in life... I've come across stupid people doing degree/Masters level jobs and extremely intelligent people brushing floors/labouring!!!

A persons job wouldn't be a barometer for respect in my opinion.

Spot on. Our place is coming down with PhD educated employees and some of them would be doing well to get their laces tied in the morning.

[muppet]

Just a thought, is there such a thing as a job that is not respectful?

I am stocking shelves and doing manual labor for the first time in my life and I tell you what, I am enjoying the exercise.

I did that for a summer in the States years ago.

Some of colleagues complimented me on my english. 

[StGallsGAA]

Better than an ordinary business only degree in my view but still don't think will be hugely beneficial to anyone in 20 years time (even learning languages while beneficial on personal level will probably be redundant with automated translation and interpretation).

I'd strenuously disagree with that.  I work in an international business and having a second language would be hugely beneficial to me when I am negotiating / discussing with customers.
Getting the conversation translated really stunts the negotiations, hinders the process and you lose so much nuance when you can't converse directly with the customer.

Right now I agree with you but in 20 years time i'd say it will almost be a seamless experience where I can speak English and a Chinese guy can understand me via some earpiece and vice versa. Being able to speak it would still be preferable but it won't be as advantageous as it is now

Balls. How the on earth will speaking into a machine in a "can't be bothered learning any words in your language" attitude ever build a relationships on any business level?  Useful for lazy holidaymakers and that's about it.

[Hardy]

Just a thought, is there such a thing as a job that is not respectful?

I am stocking shelves and doing manual labor for the first time in my life and I tell you what, I am enjoying the exercise.

Personally it means nothing to me what a person works at in life... I've come across stupid people doing degree/Masters level jobs and extremely intelligent people brushing floors/labouring!!!

A persons job wouldn't be a barometer for respect in my opinion.

However...

[muppet]

If you find you are reduced to deriding someone for the job they do, then you lost the argument a long time ago.

[seafoid]

There is dignity in all work. Apart from working for hatemongers
It's not a competition

Johan Cruyff : 

"It's like everything in football – and life. You need to look, you need to think, you need to move, you need to find space, you need to help others. It's very simple in the end."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GtwCfjI0Z8

[CiKe]

Better than an ordinary business only degree in my view but still don't think will be hugely beneficial to anyone in 20 years time (even learning languages while beneficial on personal level will probably be redundant with automated translation and interpretation).

I'd strenuously disagree with that.  I work in an international business and having a second language would be hugely beneficial to me when I am negotiating / discussing with customers.
Getting the conversation translated really stunts the negotiations, hinders the process and you lose so much nuance when you can't converse directly with the customer.

Right now I agree with you but in 20 years time i'd say it will almost be a seamless experience where I can speak English and a Chinese guy can understand me via some earpiece and vice versa. Being able to speak it would still be preferable but it won't be as advantageous as it is now

Balls. How the on earth will speaking into a machine in a "can't be bothered learning any words in your language" attitude ever build a relationships on any business level?  Useful for lazy holidaymakers and that's about it.

I said it won't be as advantageous as it is now, i.e on a relative basis. It will still be advantageous.  If you think that it won't be less of an advantage then we'll just to have to agree to disagree.

Maybe not in 20 years time but perhaps 50, I'd say that inserting chips into the brain some way might do away with the advantage altogether. And if you think that is balls, then just think that some of the stuff they are doing these days was science fiction not so long ago.

[thebigfella]

If you find you are reduced to deriding someone for the job they do, then you lost the argument a long time ago.

With exceptions, the majority of recruitment consultants and estate agents.

[CiKe]

Better than an ordinary business only degree in my view but still don't think will be hugely beneficial to anyone in 20 years time (even learning languages while beneficial on personal level will probably be redundant with automated translation and interpretation).

I'd strenuously disagree with that.  I work in an international business and having a second language would be hugely beneficial to me when I am negotiating / discussing with customers.
Getting the conversation translated really stunts the negotiations, hinders the process and you lose so much nuance when you can't converse directly with the customer.

Right now I agree with you but in 20 years time i'd say it will almost be a seamless experience where I can speak English and a Chinese guy can understand me via some earpiece and vice versa. Being able to speak it would still be preferable but it won't be as advantageous as it is now

Balls. How the on earth will speaking into a machine in a "can't be bothered learning any words in your language" attitude ever build a relationships on any business level?  Useful for lazy holidaymakers and that's about it.

I said it won't be as advantageous as it is now, i.e on a relative basis. It will still be advantageous.  If you think that it won't be less of an advantage then we'll just to have to agree to disagree.

Maybe not in 20 years time but perhaps 50, I'd say that inserting chips into the brain some way might do away with the advantage altogether. And if you think that is balls, then just think that some of the stuff they are doing these days was science fiction not so long ago.

First steps along the way already well in motion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjjQ5cH_YzI

Skype also already has something in 8 languages.

I'm sure the quality won't be 100% just yet, but will no doubt be perfect within a few years.