Working in a blue-collar occupation is noble work, as jobs in this category encompass various industries and represent individuals who directly put in the effort to let the world keep on turning. The importance of the workforce has become much clearer recently, as the United States has suffered a major decrease in the number of blue-collar workers and felt the consequences of this shortage.
The lack of workers, aside from numerous external factors, may stem from the mindset that laborers are not dealt with fair wages and healthy work environments. But with jobs waiting for eager individuals, anyone can find their success in this landscape. Here are important tips to help you on your path:
Learn Your Rights
Manual labor has its own large set of laws that were set in place to protect workers. This covers everything from getting employment, safety measures at work, fair wages and work hours, and even terms of resignation.
A lot of the injustices that bubble up get overlooked because there is not enough information commonly shared about the rights of laborers. For instance, there have been numerous stories of truckers experiencing trouble getting work because of discriminatory assumptions based solely on their occupational history. This kind of treatment would be resolved by knowing more about the legal rights afforded to them, like being able to get a truck labor lawyer.
In Washington, there are firms that specifically advocate for individuals in the blue-collar industry who could use the law on their side in all matters of disputes.
Set Your Sights on Investment
It’s true that salaries have stagnated, with many companies pushing for clear compensation that is reliable but doesn’t offer much in the way of growth. A lot of manual labor jobs depend on the worker’s ability to take on more in order to earn more. While that’s one way to do it, this causes strain that can make that route unsustainable in the long run.
Keep your work-life balance and give yourself the necessary time to stay healthy and motivated in your trajectory. Setting aside some money from your earnings can allow you to make a good investment on a project that can eventually give you another stable source of income that can ease up both your schedule and payables.
Build Your Network
Attaining success can be subjective, and it looks different in every field. However, research from the Journal of Career Development has shown that a majority of blue-collar workers regard their success in terms of how they are able to progress in their work, being able to provide for their families’ needs, and fulfillment.
For this to become your course of action, it’s crucial to start networking. Build a base of contractors, employers, peers, and even competitors. This will help you establish your own operations in the future because you have built up your credibility and connections. Essentially, this is the pathway to working toward being your own boss.
The beauty of working in manual labor is that once you have knocked out the years with experience, you have a unique grasp on the industry itself. This knowledge is what equips you for success.
Plumbers, operators, drivers, electricians, you name it. The blue-collar workforce literally has society’s functionality in their hands, and with a 10% increase in job demand, here’s hoping the industry continues to boom.
