Today the economy has done away with a lot of career pathways that were once in need. For example, due to excessive outsourcing of production, the factories that once made America number one in industry collapsed. Towns like Allentown Pennsylvania was the omen that we noticed decades before this economic downturn took place. This has forced so many to seek education after they thought they were through with that phase in their lives. This also meant that there are people who are moving from blue-collar industry positions to white-collar office positions and the other way around. The more common movement is from white-collar to blue-collar service positions. This can spell disaster for people who have no idea what to expect. Many of these people have had to move to another town to find work. Not a career; just work to feed their families.
What is some of what to expect in a blue-collar or white-collar world?
Well when you make the transition either way, you are entering a world with very different rules and also a different culture. In the office (white-collar) there is a far more uptight air and you have to watch more of what you do and say to coworkers and bosses and your overall behavior. Not to say that industry (blue-collar) is a free-for-all but it tends to be a lot more earthy and real. People are usually more friendly and buddy-buddy than in the office. They also tend to stay in whatever position they start in and are less threatened by what people see or hear. Most of these jobs are in more rural places and people tend to hang-out with each other outside of work and are familiar with one another’s habits. This leaks into the workplace where you may have to deal with the passing joke. There is no rush to go to HR over every little comment here whereas in the office it would mean anything from a write-up to a dismissal.
Someone transitioning from white-collar to blue may have to understand that in this arena there are also rites of passage to becoming accepted; a hazing of sorts. Best thing to do here is be friendly and wait until someone comes to you to make friends. If you are transitioning from blue-collar to white then it is considerably harder to mingle with those that are much more controlled than what you are used to. Best practice here is to do the same and be friendly and wait for others to come to you and remember to be appropriate with jokes and such. Wait until you see the culture before you try to entertain.
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