Blue-Collar Groupie

[Lernaean_Hydra]

So there's this running joke in my family and amongst friends that I have a soft spot for decidedly "average" and/or blue collar guys. My mom actually calls me a "blue collar groupie" quite frequently.

 

I've briefly dated or been purused by all kinds, from laborers to professionals to trust fund babies but the guys I've always been the absolute craziest about have been the "Average Joe" types. Plumbers, electricians, cops, etc. It's come to my attention that I almost seem to have an aversion to "high wager earners".

 

I've never actually put much thought into it but lately I've been getting some flak for my apparent lack of "standards" when it comes to the guys I'm willing to date. The closer I get to being out of my early 20s the more I'm told I should try to "do better" and that because I put so little emphasis on a guy's ambition or career goals I'm going to end up screwed over and/or married to a "loser" in the end.

 

I guess at this stage in my life I have zero interest in looking for a "provider" - I'm reasonably "provided for" without the help of a boyfriend as it stands - so a guy's income level or profession (or lack thereof) matters little to me so long as he can at least take care of himself. And I feel like that's not going to change but I guess I'm wondering if this will come back to bite me in the ass in the long run.

Am I setting my standards too low?

[c57dood]

Money comes and goes like the tide or like the wind which we do not know where it comes from nor where it does go. I've known men who were millionaires only to have lost it all due to illness, divorce, unforeseen events, or death. Money is important, but what a man does to earn a living does not define who he is.

 

Would you be happy to date a rich man whom made you miserable? You already know the answer to that. If we do not have health (love), money means nothing. The rich dead king is equal to the poor dead peasant. A man may have little in the way of material wealth, but inside himself he is rich beyond imagination.

[Gloria25]

Your thread caught my eye, cuz while I've always known about foreign "groupies" who would swarm the bases trying to nab military guys, I've recently found out that here in the U.S. there's some sort of "military groupies" out there called "dependas" or something like that....In other words, they want a dependent ID card, housing allowance, etc. that comes with getting involved with a military guy...Oh, and they can also have sex with anyone they want when he's gone in the field and/or overseas.

 

I get where you're coming from. I don't have an "aversion" per se, towards high wage earners - I mean, I've been with attorneys, doctors etc - same way I've been with a "blue collar" guy.

 

Yeah, having my own stuff and not needing/looking for someone to supplement my things and/or income is a factor in why I'm not so picky, but I still need a guy to have his stuff together. Total turn off if he's a loser/bum. Hard to respect some guy who doesn't have his crap together - and, the way guys are being trained to have women "pay", if some guy ever expects me to pay half of his bills I'd have to restrain myself from slapping him across the face.

 

The thing that might turn me off about a "professional" guy is how shallow some of them can be...I've gotten involved with some of them. Very arrogant dudes. But, I guess I sorta gravitate towards jerky guys who think they know everything.

 

Also, with a "professional" guy, I often wonder how far they'd go to keep their lucrative career - especially an attorney. Some of them have garbage for clients. I find it hard to respect someone involved with garbage - no matter how much they make and/or how they justify what they do for a living.

[insert_name]

Flip it round, would you want someone's main point of attraction to you to be the sum total of your ambition? Or your earning potential? Or the person you are once careers and finance have been taken out of the equation? Perhaps you should ask your parents the same question.

[gaius]

My grandmother was pretty hot back in her day (what I've been told ) and she always ended up passing up the doctors/lawyers for the construction workers. And it certainly ended up biting her in some ways. She had to pull double duty as a full time mom and student putting herself through nursing school, and became the primary bread winner when the winter came and the construction work dried up.

 

Even though she had to work a lot harder and didn't have much of a safety net she ended up with the guys she really wanted and probably would have been OK if she hadn't made so many poor financial choices. So I guess it basically comes down to a trade off, have to decide which end you want.

[TheyCallMeOx]

Two things:

 

1. No one can predict what's going to happen in your future (or anyone's future) with absolute certainty.

2. No one can tell you who you can and can't love.

 

Everyone's got their preferences. "High wage earners" can be just as disappointing than "average joes." You're not looking for a dude who makes your life better; you're looking for a dude who complements your life. The important thing is that your partner is happy with who he is and where he is in life. A man doesn't need to make 100,000 a year to be happy. If two people are happy with where they are in life, do the best they can to love each other, in tune have similar mindsets, then there's no problem. Everything else, the things people say, the things people do, really don't matter. Because in the end, who knows you better than you do? No one but you. It's your life, right? There's always going to be someone out there who disapproves of your decisions.

 

You did your taxes with this program? You should've used this one.

You got that phone? Should've got this phone.

You got that car? Should've got that car.

You decided to work at that company? Why didn't you choose this company?

You chose that guy? Why didn't you fall in love with the other guy?

 

If you let people bring you down, it's eventually going to become the self-fulfilling prophesy. You're gonna be in a satisfactory relationship, and you're one day going to fall out of love with the dude, and you won't even know why. Well, eventually people are going to say it so many times, and you're going to eventually lead yourself to believe...maybe I do need a provider. You don't need a "provider." How can you need a particular person for a relationship, when you don't even need a relationship? If we choose to be in a relationship with someone, why don't we choose the people that we want, rather than what people want us to want?

 

In the end, no one knows what they're talking about. Things can always change. Dumb decisions can end up being the best decisions people ever make; but that's life. Sometimes life is unpredictable. We can only play the game the way we know how. If we don't make decisions to satisfy our lives, we're living someone else's. Everyone's got their own lives to attend to. People are going to disagree with you sometimes, and that's okay because you can't expect to satisfy everyone. But you don't live to satisfy others; you live to satisfy yours.

[MissBee]

So there's this running joke in my family and amongst friends that I have a soft spot for decidedly "average" and/or blue collar guys. My mom actually calls me a "blue collar groupie" quite frequently.

 

I've briefly dated or been purused by all kinds, from laborers to professionals to trust fund babies but the guys I've always been the absolute craziest about have been the "Average Joe" types. Plumbers, electricians, cops, etc. It's come to my attention that I almost seem to have an aversion to "high wager earners".

 

I've never actually put much thought into it but lately I've been getting some flak for my apparent lack of "standards" when it comes to the guys I'm willing to date. The closer I get to being out of my early 20s the more I'm told I should try to "do better" and that because I put so little emphasis on a guy's ambition or career goals I'm going to end up screwed over and/or married to a "loser" in the end.

 

I guess at this stage in my life I have zero interest in looking for a "provider" - I'm reasonably "provided for" without the help of a boyfriend as it stands - so a guy's income level or profession (or lack thereof) matters little to me so long as he can at least take care of himself. And I feel like that's not going to change but I guess I'm wondering if this will come back to bite me in the ass in the long run.

Am I setting my standards too low?

 

What do you look for in a man? Do these men provide it? Is there any reason you're averse to "high wage earners"? Also, for me I don't see profession as necessarily tied to wages. One can be blue collar and earn high wages, usually the difference between professionals and blue collar isn't really about wages but about education level and implied "sophistication".

 

I don't think I'd be a match for a man who earned a high wage but wasn't socially conscious or worldly, which are more important to me personally. I guess social capital is more so what I look for in matches versus wages. It happens to be in my experience that professionals also tend to have more social capital but that's not always the case.

 

I don't care about a man's profession per se, in terms of simply looking at his earning potential; rather, I look for someone who I feel is intellectually on par with me, who has similar values and interests in the world and who finds his work meaningful. That's all. It has tended to be that I have more in common with men who are professionals, as we'll often have similar backgrounds and life experiences and tend to care about similar types of things and thus socially it's easy for them to fit in with me and my friends and I their friends, but I've also dated men who weren't professionals, but who still matched up in terms of being goal-oriented, successful, cultured and intelligent in their own right so didn't miss a beat.

[Lernaean_Hydra]

I've recently found out that here in the U.S. there's some sort of "military groupies" out there called "dependas" or something like that....In other words, they want a dependent ID card, housing allowance, etc. that comes with getting involved with a military guy...Oh, and they can also have sex with anyone they want when he's gone in the field and/or overseas.

 

:lmao:

 

Oh dear lord, NO! I actually have a slightly older friend who moved 2500mi to be nearer to an AFB that supposedly had a high number of eligible (see: desperate) bachelors a few years ago during the height of the WoT. One of her biggest reasons was literally "but like, they give you a whole house!!"

 

 

Yeah, having my own stuff and not needing/looking for someone to supplement my things and/or income is a factor in why I'm not so picky, but I still need a guy to have his stuff together. Total turn off if he's a loser/bum. Hard to respect some guy who doesn't have his crap together

 

Right! This is one of the things that sort of makes me angry when I get told my standards are "too low". A dude with absolutely nothing going for him is a turn off, but I don't need him to be a CEO or a corporate raider either so it irks me when people act like I'm going straight for literal beggars on the street.

 

- and, the way guys are being trained to have women "pay", if some guy ever expects me to pay half of his bills I'd have to restrain myself from slapping him across the face.

In my own short lifetime I've seen the tide turning and noticed a startling number of guys are a-ok with having a woman foot the bill for their lifestyle. I've witnessed mothers actually encouraging their sons to bilk girls out of their financial aid/tuition money or what little they earn from menial jobs. Dudes are getting shoes, clothes, cell phone bills and rent paid for and thinking nothing of it. Total turn off. Ick.

 

The thing that might turn me off about a "professional" guy is how shallow some of them can be...I've gotten involved with some of them. Very arrogant dudes. But, I guess I sorta gravitate towards jerky guys who think they know everything.

 

Also, with a "professional" guy, I often wonder how far they'd go to keep their lucrative career - especially an attorney. Some of them have garbage for clients. I find it hard to respect someone involved with garbage - no matter how much they make and/or how they justify what they do for a living.

Arrogance aside, the problem I've run into with some so-called "professional" types is that they legitimately feel their careers/income are a reasonable substitute for being a decent person to be around. I also happen to have a good friend who's one of those types and as much as I like him personally, some of his business practices are.....predatory. He makes great money but at what cost? It's unsettling.

[LookAtThisPOst]

I take it your family/friends are elitists in nature?

 

So there's this running joke in my family and amongst friends that I have a soft spot for decidedly "average" and/or blue collar guys. My mom actually calls me a "blue collar groupie" quite frequently.

 

I've briefly dated or been purused by all kinds, from laborers to professionals to trust fund babies but the guys I've always been the absolute craziest about have been the "Average Joe" types. Plumbers, electricians, cops, etc. It's come to my attention that I almost seem to have an aversion to "high wager earners".

 

I've never actually put much thought into it but lately I've been getting some flak for my apparent lack of "standards" when it comes to the guys I'm willing to date. The closer I get to being out of my early 20s the more I'm told I should try to "do better" and that because I put so little emphasis on a guy's ambition or career goals I'm going to end up screwed over and/or married to a "loser" in the end.

 

I guess at this stage in my life I have zero interest in looking for a "provider" - I'm reasonably "provided for" without the help of a boyfriend as it stands - so a guy's income level or profession (or lack thereof) matters little to me so long as he can at least take care of himself. And I feel like that's not going to change but I guess I'm wondering if this will come back to bite me in the ass in the long run.

Am I setting my standards too low?

[Phoe]

I've only had one boyfriend who even had a job. I think money earning is the one thing that people emphasize WAY TOO MUCH that realistically holds no meaning, and should not be relevant.

 

So no, I don't think thise are too low standards at all!

[CrystalCastles]

I've only had one boyfriend who even had a job. I think money earning is the one thing that people emphasize WAY TOO MUCH that realistically holds no meaning, and should not be relevant.

 

So no, I don't think thise are too low standards at all!

 

People emphasize it way too much because it is important. I get that you've dated guys with no jobs, but people have actually wrote in your threads that dating guys with no jobs is too low of a standard. Money is important, you do have to consider it. Its not smart to tie yourself to a guy who earns nothing and will be milking you for money because he has nothing to support himself with. Plus, people who want serious relationships (ie. they'd want to start a family at some point) would want to be with someone more financially stable. Its a bit tough to be the breadwinner, babymaker, cook and house cleaner all at once.

 

That being said, no Lernean, I don't think there's anything wrong with going for blue-collared workers. If a dude can feed himself and pay his bills, nothing wrong with dating him. I don't think that's a low standard. My boyfriend's parents are blue-collar workers. They are very happy, were highschool sweethearts. Maybe their house isn't a glittering mansion but they have a house, they started a family and they're really happy.

 

It matters about what you want, not what other people say. If you are attracted to more average guys, then go for them! Its your life, your relationship and nobody has a place to dictate who you should or shouldn't be attracted to.

[Lernaean_Hydra]

I've only had one boyfriend who even had a job. I think money earning is the one thing that people emphasize WAY TOO MUCH that realistically holds no meaning, and should not be relevant.

 

So no, I don't think thise are too low standards at all!

 

Well I agree in a way but, of the unemployed guys you dated, could they at least support themselves? I couldn't care less whether a guy had a job or not so long as he was self-sufficient. However if he was seriously struggling and/or living in abject poverty then yeah...I'd have to pass on that too.

[D.Mc.]

Hi Lerneean,

 

 

Priorities do change as you age...when I was in my 20's I worked FT & had my own place so one of my reqs. for a guy was that he have any kind of job didn't care about the income level. In my early 30's when all my friends were married & planning families, I began to think if I ever wanted that too, then he should be financially stable & upwardly mobile 'cuz families cost lots of $$. Then stuff happened & I wound up moving in w/my (now ex) bf, losing my job & being dependent on him. He was able to support me including healthcare as well as my pets (vet care cost lots of $$ too). He was more than financially stable. I never thought I would ever be dependent on a man & I realize now that if I had rejected him in the beginning of our RS, when I didn't need any $$ help, I would have wound up homeless & my pets put to sleep before their time.

 

 

Some things are just better rich: coffee, chocolate, men...

[thefooloftheyear]

Bottom line is we are just waaaaaay sexier than those girly men......

 

But all kidding aside, where is it written that a guy thats in a blue collar field has to be dumb and broke??..I run two businesses in a blue collar type venue, and make more than most doctors do...Some other guys I know make pretty good coin as well..One of my closest friends is a manager with the gas company....He made 160K last year with OT..

 

And just because a guy works with his hands doesnt immediately mean he's a knuckle dragger...Some are highly intelligent, just chose a different path for their life..

 

Nothing wrong with that...Go for it..

 

 

TFY

Edited December 6, 2014 by thefooloftheyear

[Frank2thepoint]

I've briefly dated or been purused by all kinds, from laborers to professionals to trust fund babies but the guys I've always been the absolute craziest about have been the "Average Joe" types. Plumbers, electricians, cops, etc. It's come to my attention that I almost seem to have an aversion to "high wager earners".

 

Hey, what bout the unsung heroes, the IT guys. The guys that resurrect your virus-riddled computer so you can continue surfing Facebook and LS. Man, just like Rodney Dangerfield said "I get no respect".

[Phoe]

Well I agree in a way but, of the unemployed guys you dated, could they at least support themselves? I couldn't care less whether a guy had a job or not so long as he was self-sufficient. However if he was seriously struggling and/or living in abject poverty then yeah...I'd have to pass on that too.

 

1 of them was homeless, so "supporting himself" is a bit of a skewed statement. But he never needed anything from me or asked of anything from me. He took care of his own business despite having nothing.

 

My most recent ex was on and off with his job, sometimes working, other months not working, but by far made more money than me, yet regularly had to borrow money from me. About $500 gone. That's a lot when you only make $1000 a month.

 

I've personally found that those jobless guys were far more self sufficient because they knew how to be.

[ThaWholigan]

Nothing wrong with blue collar guys - lots of girls like them for numerous reasons. I come from a family of creatives, but I know quite a few blue collar guys and not only are some of them never ever broke, but they are also more versatile in learning things particularly seen as outside their perceived scope of intelligence and resources - can learn from anyone . As TFY said, blue collar guys can be rich too!

 

Do you know what attracts you to them? I assume its not just the profession of course .

[MissBee]

I've only had one boyfriend who even had a job. I think money earning is the one thing that people emphasize WAY TOO MUCH that realistically holds no meaning, and should not be relevant.

 

So no, I don't think thise are too low standards at all!

 

I have to disagree, money is a requirement to live. It's not optional. Food, clothes, shelter, health everything requires money and especially if you're gonna be married to someone and bring kids into the world, it's kind of silly IMO to believe one's financial wellness is irrelevant. It is absolutely relevant.

 

Phoe, you can disregard my opinion of course, but your standards IMO are well below average. In your improving Phoe thread I already said that it has always struck me as strange that you date men with no jobs and things like that and almost seem proud of it like this is a great standard...and most of them seemed to treat you poorly on top of it, so I'm like huh?! This seems very topsy-turvy.

 

I don't need a man to make 6 figures and over as a requirement but I definitely feel that it is strange to only ever date one person who has had a job and is WELL below the average woman's standard especially if she herself is ambitious and educated and has a career. Nobody can live on "love" alone...especially in any longterm commitment. I don't need a man to have a job to support me...just himself, our kids, God forbid if something happens to me, then what? And certainly to have his own goals and ambitions. That to me is the normal standard in life. It's not even a requirement that I think about, but a given in my world anyway.

[Phoe]

I have to disagree, money is a requirement to live. It's not optional. Food, clothes, shelter, health everything requires money and especially if you're gonna be married to someone and bring kids into the world, it's kind of silly IMO to believe one's financial wellness is irrelevant. It is absolutely relevant.

 

Phoe, you can disregard my opinion of course, but your standards IMO are well below average. In your improving Phoe thread I already said that it has always struck me as strange that you date men with no jobs and things like that and almost seem proud of it like this is a great standard...and most of them seemed to treat you poorly on top of it, so I'm like huh?! This seems very topsy-turvy.

 

I don't need a man to make 6 figures and over as a requirement but I definitely feel that it is strange to only ever date one person who has had a job and is WELL below the average woman's standard especially if she herself is ambitious and educated and has a career. Nobody can live on "love" alone...especially in any longterm commitment. I don't need a man to have a job to support me...just himself, our kids, God forbid if something happens to me, then what? And certainly to have his own goals and ambitions. That to me is the normal standard in life. It's not even a requirement that I think about, but a given in my world anyway.

 

It's not like I was rejecting men with jobs in favor of men without jobs, it just so happens men without jobs are the only ones who've ever asked me out.

 

And yeah, I'm proud to not care about money. I don't see a reason why I shouldn't be, and just because you speak with the insinuation that I should not be proud and that its a bad thing, doesn't mean I'm going to change that. I'm happy about that side of me and I'm not going to downplay it for people who think it's lousy.

 

I don't care about money and nothing will MAKE me care. I'm not going to pretend so that I can create a preference that really provides nothing in the context of a relationship. I 100% don't see how having a preference for a certain amount of money earned by my partner, will help me find a good relationship in any way. It just plain won't.

 

Like I posted above, I've dated a guy who was homeless. I never had to do anything for him. It was just me and him liking one another. It doesn't mean he was a lousy partner, it doesn't mean he didn't have dreams and ambitions, it means he had a really rough patch and I was there with him through it because I liked him.

 

Of all the things I need to improve on, requiring more money is NOT one of them.

[MissBee]

It's not like I was rejecting men with jobs in favor of men without jobs, it just so happens men without jobs are the only ones who've ever asked me out.

 

And yeah, I'm proud to not care about money. I don't see a reason why I shouldn't be, and just because you speak with the insinuation that I should not be proud and that its a bad thing, doesn't mean I'm going to change that. I'm happy about that side of me and I'm not going to downplay it for people who think it's lousy.

 

I don't care about money and nothing will MAKE me care. I'm not going to pretend so that I can create a preference that really provides nothing in the context of a relationship. I 100% don't see how having a preference for a certain amount of money earned by my partner, will help me find a good relationship in any way. It just plain won't.

 

Like I posted above, I've dated a guy who was homeless. I never had to do anything for him. It was just me and him liking one another. It doesn't mean he was a lousy partner, it doesn't mean he didn't have dreams and ambitions, it means he had a really rough patch and I was there with him through it because I liked him.

 

Of all the things I need to improve on, requiring more money is NOT one of them.

 

 

I didn't say you needed to care about a SPECIFIC amount of money. Having a job...any job...any means of supporting one's self in the world is a requirement for all adults. Do you agree or disagree with this? It's not attached to a specific dollar amount. Caring that a man can support himself financially and is financially responsible especially if you want to marry him potentially is a NORMAL, intelligent way of making decisions. How is it not? It's not like you need to care about what car he has or what watch he is wearing...but that he can get up everyday and support himself is a pretty standard concern especially for the longterm. If this in your opinion is not relevant...mmmkay. I don't understand it, like how you expect that to work...especially if let's say one of these jobless men got you pregnant? You keep talking about "money" as if it is arbitrary, but a job is not just about "money" as jobs come with all kinds of ranges of income and not once did I say you should date men who make a specific amount. A person's job/career tells a lot of other things about them.

 

Phoe, you seem to think that ANY consideration for livelihood is a bad thing and that you should be proud that you'll date the homeless and jobless, and IMO that is a very strange way of thinking and speaks of low self worth. There is a big difference between only caring about money or looking for people who make a certain amount of money and dating people who have no livelihood and have no money at all. Don't you see those are two extremes? Like I said...everything costs money, so how can you not care how someone will take care of themselves or if you have offspring how they'll take care of them? THAT's what I mean. I have never suggested you go around choosing men based on income bracket...but for me the fact that you see NO qualitative and practical difference between caring about specific sums of money and caring about a man having ANY kind of livelihood is a problem.

 

If dating men who borrow from you, don't pay you back to the point you don't know how you're gonna eat is A-okay and you think you shouldn't adjust your requirements for the bare minimum of a man not needing your financial support...fine, it's your life, if you like it and feel it has been successful, great, we're just discussing and I can't force you to change anything, I said you were free to disagree. But I was just suggesting that you maybe think about why you're so proud of something that hasn't even shown itself to be a successful way of choosing partners?

 

In relation to the OP: a blue collar man is not the same as a man with no job. So this isn't even really the same issue. As like I said blue collar men can earn high incomes too...but point is, they get up everyday and do something productive with their life and make their own money...a jobless homeless man isn't doing that and LOTS of women with low self worth paint themselves as saints for taking up with the downtrodden and men they have to support and don't see it doesn't make them a saint but rather they do a disservice to themselves as, from what you have also said, these men take advantage and don't even treat them well, so all of it usually ties back to how they value themselves and somewhere feeling theyt aren't good enough to require more. You saying only jobless men ask you out makes it seem like you're required to go out with them just cause they asked...Phoe this is also a problem...you may disagree but I hope you really consider why your standards are so low where it's like anyone who asks you out you'll agree, he need not have a place to live, a job, nothing...and why you associate this with being a good thing. Like if you had a daughter or little sister...how would you encourage her to choose a partner?

Edited December 6, 2014 by MissBee

[Phoe]

Quoting is being difficult on my tablet but this is my response missbee

 

Dating does not mean marriage, and someone's current situation doesn't indicate a future situation.

 

The guy who was homeless? Fine now. He got his situation together and now is fine. I always knew he would.

 

Because I would not have kids or marry someone for years after dating them, someone's current situation is irrelevant. What IS relevant, is that they have dreams and passions. None of the jobless men I dated were content to just live that way forever. They had aspirations and goals, and were working towards achieving those goals. And so far, all of them have, since the time I met them, progressed.

 

I would not marry or have children with someone who can't be financially stable, but that doesn't mean I can't date that person. Nor do I intend to get pregnant by anyone. I have a birth control implant, and while they're not foolproof, if I got pregnant right now I'd get an abortion. Simple as that. I'm not stable enough to be a mother.

 

Money plays NO factor in whether I date someone right now. It DOES have a factor in whether I'd marry them down the line and have children with them, simply because it would be irresponsible to do otherwise.

 

Yes I have a problem with dating someone who borrows money and doesn't pay it back. CLEARLY I have a problem with that. I broke up with him.

[somedude81]

Hey, what bout the unsung heroes, the IT guys. The guys that resurrect your virus-riddled computer so you can continue surfing Facebook and LS. Man, just like Rodney Dangerfield said "I get no respect".

 

Hey that will be me soon!

 

I'm just about done with my IS degree.

 

I'll probably never be rich. But I should make enough to be comfortable.

[Frank2thepoint]

Hey that will be me soon!

 

I'm just about done with my IS degree.

 

I'll probably never be rich. But I should make enough to be comfortable.

 

Find a job in the public sector (Federal, State, or City), get a good pension, invest into a 403, good benefits, do half-assed work, put in 30+ years, and retire content. You won't be rich, but you'll have enough money to splurge about twice a year on big vacations.

[preraph]

If you do and be with the ones you love, money doesn't matter as much. However, that said, if you're planning on having kids, better give it some consideration, but you can set your standards higher for yourself and not date different guys. Blue collar isn't always poor.

[Els]

Nah, I don't think dating manual workers is 'setting your standards too low'. After all, they are gainfully employed. If you're attracted to them, go for it!

 

Also, you would be surprised how many 'blue collar' workers make more than their 'white collar' counterparts, so money is unlikely to be a factor.