Emergence of White Collar Vs. Blue Collar

The distinction between White Collar Vs. Blue Collar career paths began in the 1920s and 1930s. It somehow became the norm for office workers to wear white collared shirts. Physical labor jobs usually entailed darker attire, which help in preventing the staining of these laborers clothes (everydaylife.globalpost.com).

What is the definition of White Collar?

There is no universal definition of this career path, however there are common descriptions. These include: a profession held in an office setting or other professional environment (dictionary.com); a working class known for earning high average salaries and not performing manual labor at their jobs (investopedia.com); refers to employees whose job entails, largely or entirely, mental or clerical work, such as in an office (businessdictionary.com); a term people use to describe themselves after they have “earned” their college degree. People that give themselves a “white collar” status are typically horrible in bed and have nothing else to brag about except their college degree (urbandictionary.com).

What are Some Examples of White Collar Jobs?

One category of a White Collar Job is Management. Management positions are typical White Collar Jobs and most of these positions are included, besides positions such as an assistant manager at a grocery store. Another category is that of Professional Jobs. These include lawyers, accountants, doctors, whom all apply their knowledge in their practice in their work. Science and Engineering is yet another category of this career path. These are included if the job involves applying scientific and engineering principles to solve problems (Everdaylife.globalpost.com).

What are the Advantages & Disadvantages of working White Collar Jobs?

The most popular advantage to working a White Collar job is the pay. White Collar jobs usually earn more money than those of non-white collar jobs. According to a recent study of workers in Manhattan, ‘white-collar workers make more than double what its non-office workers do” (wsj.com). The study also observed that office workers earned an average salary of $100,900, which is 110% more than the average salary of non-office workers, at $47,947 (wsj.com). Another benefit is the lack of physical labor. White Collars do not suffer the aches and pains of physical labor that some non-office workers face. Lastly, White Collar jobs usually come with more stability than those of non white collar jobs.

A disadvantage of working a White Collar Job is the necessity of further education. While you can work a Blue Collar job without even a high school degree, a formal education is required for most White Collar jobs. White Collar workers typically have at least a high school diploma, while most complete an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or professional degree (smallbusiness.chron.com). In a recent study, White Collar workers reportedly have significantly more stress at work and outside work (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Another disadvantage to working a White-Collar job could be the boredom of sitting in a cubicle all day.

Works Cited

Browne, Clayton. “Examples of White Collar Jobs.” Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2015. http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/examples-white-collar-jobs-4801.html

Gay, Mara. “Workforce Is More Divided, Report Shows.” WSJ. N.p., 2 July 2014. Web. 02 May 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/white-collar-workers-make-more-than-double-what-non-office-workers-do-report-shows-1404274022>.

“Result Filters.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 02 May 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10416847>.

Scott, Sherrie. “What Is a Blue-Collar Worker and a White-Collar Worker?” Small Business. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2015. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/bluecollar-worker-whitecollar-worker-11074.html