I find it ironic that the classic blue collar jobs (plumbing, electrician, carpenter, pest control, excavation, etc) and “red neck” jobs such as gun smithing are infinitely more secure than the information economy jobs and service work promoted for the past 20 years.
As an engineer, one of the best investments I ever made was computer aided drafting coursework. Others worked in “internships” while I worked as a drafter. Helped pay for school AND living expenses.
I have been advising young people I meet to take courses in those fields, as they can’t be outsourced to India. If I need my air conditioner fixed, they can’t ship it to India to fix it.
Young man across the street got his ticket in A/C last year and he is busy doing side work everyday, while still working a regular job.
The whole moving up to white collar work from the jobs requiring “getting your hands dirty” is bad advise now, as probably 75% of those jobs are now outsourced overseas.
Air conditioning, plumbing, electrician, mechanic are all jobs that are always needed. If you can’t find a regular job, you can do side work and make good money till you do.
I am an engineer looking at “retirement” in about ten years. Even with it being that far off, I am already getting inquiries from community colleges to teach technology courses in refinery instrumentation. The need for the blue collar jobs are there.