By Kelsey Maxwell
As the generation that has grown up with technology as a part of their everyday life, practically since birth, it makes sense that Gen Zers are some of the most knowledgeable when it comes to technology. However, this knowledge can serve as both a blessing and a curse for society as a whole. Whether people want to admit it or not, society revolves around blue-collar workers, and Gen Zers don’t seem to appreciate that. Very few Gen Zers are considering going into a trade and they have minimal knowledge that would be useful to them if they did.
When people fall on hard times, blue-collar jobs can be their saving grace. But without basic knowledge of tools or heavy machinery, the saving grace for Gen Z is starting to look more like Starbucks or McDonald’s. Add to the minimal tool knowledge a sense of entitlement (for some, not all), and Gen Z won’t survive in a blue-collar job. A Gen Zer who tried to work for my dad over the summer wanted $25 an hour because he had a college degree. News flash: you don’t need a college degree to pull a well pump. I should know; I’ve been helping my dad on jobs since I was eleven. But my dad told him that if he could name four tools that he set out on the back of his truck, then he would give him $25 an hour. Of the four tools, this guy could only name two, and the two that he couldn’t name were ones that my dad uses every day on the job. I decided to make a longer quiz that included heavy machinery and gave it to some of my classmates and coworkers. The results: none of my classmates got over half of the tools and machines correct (and I picked some of the most common tools and machines). With this minimal knowledge of tools and machines, Gen Z is not going to be able to work in blue-collar industries. And if we don’t have people going into blue-collar jobs to replace all of the people that leave every year, the industries will die.
But with all the Gen Zers that are almost guaranteed to not have a job in a blue-collar industry, there are still some that will keep blue-collar alive. When I quizzed my Gen Z coworkers, who work with machines and tools daily, they got everything right. Of all the people that I asked, only my coworkers said that they were considering a job in a blue-collar industry. With the lack of Gen Z considering or prepared for the blue-collar workforce, and an anticipated lack of interest from Gen Alpha, companies will start to develop and use machinery instead of manpower. And since machines don’t need breaks, can’t unionize, and can’t commit OSHA violations (which can be very expensive), some companies will start refusing to hire manpower entirely, ending the chances for people in current and future generations that do have a desire to work in a blue-collar industry. And these people will always be around.