←back to thread

388 points pseudolus | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.232s | source
Show context
hgs3 ◴[] No.43495502[source]
The vast majority of jobs that sustain our standard of living are blue-collar: farmers who grow our food, textile workers who make our clothes, construction workers who build our homes, plumbers, electricians, waste disposal workers, etc. I'd say it's white-collar work that became overinflated this past century, largely as a reaction to the automation and outsourcing of many traditional blue-collar roles.

Now, with white-collar jobs themselves increasingly at risk, it's unclear where people will turn. The economic pie continues to shrink, and I don't see that trend reversing.

It appears to me that our socio-economic model simply doesn't scale with technology. We need to have a constructive conversation about how to adapt.

replies(6): >>43495605 #>>43495639 #>>43496127 #>>43496376 #>>43496444 #>>43497198 #
1. vishnugupta ◴[] No.43496127[source]
To add four year degree is a very recent phenomena. For most of the people it was an exception. The norm was to become an apprentice after or during high school and then go on to become a master tradesman. We might just be seeing a reversion to the norm.