Great Expectations... Pt. 2

While I was in high school and since, as noted previously, I have assembled a very diverse resumé. I have been in management, and in the bottom of a hole with a shovel. I have worked alongside aspiring doctors and lawyers, welders, and laborers. I have spent much time in the seats of various classrooms, and recently, I have taken my place in the front of the classroom as the teacher. Maybe, in a small way, I have finally become "Mr. Koschak."

On my way to this humble distinction, I have wrestled with keeping that family trust granted me so long ago. Along the way, I encountered several fallacies in my thinking which I suspect are relatively common. I thought that I might take this chance to share the conclusions that I have come to and how they relate to these flawed assumptions.

For one, whether consciously or otherwise, I carried the assumption that I was somehow "above" or "better than" a blue-collar job. I suspect that several factors contributed to this rather stark assertion.

First, I think that I inherited it from my family. When a young boy listens to his own parents tell him that he needs to get a good job, one that is far more important and superior to their own jobs, it creates a simple equation. Namely, that the type of work they do is not to be sought after, and that they have such a job because they can't get a better one.

I am sharing this, not to lay blame at my parents' feet, but to offer a kind of warning. I would strongly discourage parents or other adults from making pronouncements like these to youth, as it robs certain vocations of their dignity. I believe that every job is important, and that not everyone has the gifts to excel at every job.

Second, I think that this bias is reinforced by society and media. How many times have we seen the blue collar worker portrayed as some beer drinking, basically ignorant, semi-belligerent fool? The idea is that these people are to be ridiculed and certainly not to be taken seriously. On the other hand, the upper class are portrayed as being basically more intelligent, more sophisticated, and mostly better groomed. As a thoughtful person looking for mental stimulation, which would a person choose?

Third, since blue collar jobs are often labor intensive, this bias suggests that jobs that require dirty hands and a sweaty brow are somehow inferior. The thought is that if you were smart, you would not have a bad back at 45. This encourages a person to look at the tradesman or laborer as though they are less than desirable. It feeds the ego to think that we are "above" or maybe "better than" certain jobs, which actually translates to being better than the people doing these jobs...

There are more reasons that I perceived these things this way... but these three are pretty big. However, in His truly infinite wisdom, the Lord has shook my tree with various experiences which He has ordained. And it was (and is) through these experiences that my Heavenly Father is molding my notion of vocation and work. I hope to share some of these humble insights to encourage others on this road with me...

Watch out for Part 3...