Ken Rusk

Achieve Your Goals By Taking the Path to Freedom

Where do you envision yourself in five to ten years? In your mind’s eye, where does your path lead?

As I convey in my book Blue Collar Cash, there’s nothing I’m more obsessed with than paths. After all, in the literal sense, I’ve been digging them around foundations for the majority of my life while working in construction. I even spend my free time on all kinds of paths: trails, back roads, and golf courses. Nothing gives me more hope, more clarity, or more inspiration than continuing on a path that I’m certain will lead me to a wonderful destination. Read More »

How To Succeed As An Entrepreneur

When you hear the word “entrepreneurship,” you may think of white collar professions at large corporations or tech companies. If so, you’re missing more than half the equation. The boundaries of entrepreneurship do not exist, and blue collar entrepreneurship can be quite lucrative.

Blue collar entrepreneurship can certainly take the form of creating new machines that make industrial or home improvement processes easier. It frequently takes the form of a plumber or carpenter creating his own company. In fact, entrepreneurs can gain tremendous rewards by creating a self-owned business around their blue collar skills. The pathway is generally safer than in other types of entrepreneurship, too, because there is always demand for trade skills. For instance, finding business as a plumber is more realistic than finding buyers for a new app! Read More »

Want to Survive in the Blue-Collar Workforce? Upskill!

We are in the age of automation, and blue-collar workers need to consider upskilling to be successful. In a rapidly changing market, blue-collar workers need to get more training to preserve their jobs and earn a higher salary.

We live in an increasingly technological society where robots and artificial intelligence will soon work alongside humans in the blue-collar workplace. While some fear technology displacing blue-collar workers, I do not. Reading an article recently, I agreed with one of the experts, technology won't eliminate blue-collar jobs anytime soon, it will only shift the scope of the type of work done by blue-collar workers. Read More »

The Massive Blue Collar Hiring Gap And What It Means For You

The blue-collar industry sustained an allure that enticed the typical working man of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. And why not? A job of this caliber afforded a person the opportunity to achieve the “American Dream” -- the white picket fence, the 2.5 children, and nice house. A college education was not required to be comfortable in the middle-class. 

In the ensuing years the quality of blue collar work didn’t change, but our attitude towards it did. We began to hear over and over that college was necessary to experience life success. As a result, the perception of blue-collar work declined and even as the work continued to offer solid careers. Now there aren’t enough interested candidates to fill all the excellent high-paying jobs available - but the lack of employees means those who are interested now can make a lot of money and maybe even become a millionaire. Read More »

8 Blue-Collar Careers That Are Recession-Proof

As we enter the downturn driven by Covid-19 (may it be very short!), I’ve marked the notices from governors and mayors outlining the “essential” positions that can continue working because of their necessity for society’s functioning. Many of these positions are blue-collar, which continues a trend from past recessions and slowdowns. Often, blue-collar jobs continue working even as other parts of the economy shut down.

In fact, this durability is a good reason to consider certain blue-collar careers. Read More »

American Attitudes Towards Blue-Collar Work Are A Threat To Our Future

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 on humans and try to kill them all. While frightening and sellable, studies suggest it isn’t realistic.

What is real, though, is the stigmatization of American blue-collar jobs and that is much more scary for the modern-day workforce than the aforementioned thriller movie plot. Read More »

These Blue Collar Industries Will Face The Biggest Talent Shortages Over The Next 10 Years

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 and health services, there are, on average, 2.26 unemployed people with the proper credentials to fill it. For a job in finance, 1.78 individuals are waiting in line. And for “professional service” positions, 1.9 potential employees vie for each one.

But the trend is not the same for those in the blue-collar sector of the workforce. For a job in construction, there are three-quarters of a person to fill it. Which means there is an overabundance of available positions in the industry. Moreover, the individuals who fill these jobs are more likely to “experience rapid wage growth, and be overall satisfied,” according to the Conference Board. Read More »

More Teens Are Choosing Blue-Collar Careers

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 that time period, as well? In fact, trade school enrollment has nearly doubled and hit 16 million participants in 2014 according to The National Center for Education Statistics. As a successful blue-collar worker, all I can say is “great!” Because blue-collar wages and opportunities are also skyrocketing.  Read More »

Women Are Taking Their Rightful Place in Blue-Collar Fields

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 in blue-collar jobs male-dominated careers such as police officers and in construction, transportation, and warehouse positions has increased and is poised to continue expanding.

What’s behind this shift? According to the Wall Street Journal, more women are opting into blue-collar roles because of their desire for better pay, the recognition that other women are filling these positions too, and due to the emergence of blue-collar job-training programs even as the cost of four-year degrees skyrockets. Read More »

The Blue-Collar Cash Contest

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 one winner wasn't enough. Instead, I elected to support three startups that I think will add to their communities, be self-sustaining, and become job creators. Read More »