By: Ken Rusk • Published March 30, 2020
We all know the image of the dystopian future of the American workforce: robots, in droves, take all the jobs that hardworking, real people have always had, the poverty level skyrockets, and the human race as we know it, devolves. Sometimes, the robots even turn …
Posted in Working in the Trades
By: Ken Rusk • Published March 30, 2020
These times, they are a’changin’. The trend of the last 20-30 years has shifted. Who would have thought that it would be the college-educated populace that would struggle to find work in this day and age? But it’s true – for every job in education …
Posted in Working in the Trades
By: Ken Rusk • Published February 10, 2020
You may know this story: college enrollment has risen since 2000, reaching 16.9 million students in 2016. To parents, guidance counselors, and college grads it’s the only pathway to modern career success or social respectability.
But did you know that trade school participation has increased over …
Posted in Finding Your Path
By: Ken Rusk • Published February 10, 2020
A booming economy, changing norms, and new openings vacated by retiring men are changing the face of blue-collar work. Today, women are filling roles that were historically male-dominated. Though the percentage of women in the overall workforce hasn’t changed much, the number of women working …
Posted in Working in the Trades
By: Ken Rusk • Published January 28, 2020
So proud to announce that entries to the Blue Collar Cash contest were so good that I decided one winner wasn’t enough.
Instead, I chose three! I wanted this money to really transform lives and when I saw the number of excellent submissions I thought …
Posted in Uncategorized
By: Ken Rusk • Published December 13, 2019
By now, you’ve heard about the vast number of job openings in the trades. With Baby Boomers retiring and a never-ending need for skilled workers, the trades have never been more inviting for those looking to grow their career and eventually run their own business. …
Posted in Working in the Trades
By: Ken Rusk • Published October 21, 2019
Think you need a college degree to earn a decent wage? Think again. There are plenty of blue-collar jobs that pay 6 figures and don’t require you to wait four years and accrue tens of thousands of dollars of debt.
Whether you want to work with …
Posted in Working in the Trades
By: Ken Rusk • Published October 2, 2019
Leadership in the Blue-Collar World: The Importance of Being a Mentor
One person’s success is rarely the result of just their work alone. It’s the culmination of experiences and learning from everyone in their lifetime. Parents, teachers and peers are often credited with helping guide others …
Posted in Working in the Trades
By: Ken Rusk • Published August 26, 2019
Life often seems like a race to riches. Every step, every choice designed exclusively to bring you closer to an arbitrary amount of wealth that will let you take a step back and start to enjoy everything else. Because of that, the get rich quick …
Posted in Accomplishing Goals
By: Ken Rusk • Published August 19, 2019
Learning to Hire For Skills, Not Degrees
The tech boom has certainly changed our lives and our workplaces. It has also lead to thousands of articles in the newspapers and stories on TV about the rise of tech jobs that require four-year degrees. What hasn’t been …
Posted in Working in the Trades