Gary BUTTERWORTH Online

STRATFORD, NJ, USA

Everyone knows about “blue collar workers” (people who perform manual labor) and “white collar workers” (people who work in an office setting, especially managers).

Of course, life is rarely clear-cut enough to fit broadly defined labels.  So, some people try, with mixed results, to combat that by creating more categories and yet more labels.

There are a few newer terms that I’ve recently seen describing employment categories.  Some people say that “service sector” employees don’t fit into either category (blue- or white-collar), and I guess that is kind of true.  Some people use the term “pink collar” to describe jobs that are traditionally dominated by women, like secretaries and elementary school teachers.

There is another term I’ve noticed recently:

“Gold-collar workers”

I’ve seen this term defined in a couple of ways. 
“Gold collars” are sometimes defined as people with formal training in skilled jobs, like electricians, plumbers, auto repair technicians, etc.  These people generally have decent incomes and even higher income potential after they get some experience under their belts and maybe go into business for themselves.  I have a great respect for people who work in trades, so the rest of this post isn’t talking about this definition of “gold-collar worker.”

There are a handfull of other definitions, too.  Some people say a “gold collar” is a tech worker, or someone who needs a unique management style, or someone who survived a downsizing. 

Some people, though, define a “gold collar worker” as someone young, with a moderate-to-high amount of disposable income from an unskilled job.  This is what I’ll discuss here.  He or she might live at home and make $15/hour selling cell phones at the mall.  With that kind of income and few expenses, a 20-year-old can live pretty large, even becoming the envy of his/her college-going friends.
Here’s a good article describing this type of gold-collar.

There is nothing wrong with disposable income in and of itself.  But, contrary to many people’s perceptions, disposable income alone is not indicative of success.  Additionally, in the case of gold collars, it can be unsustainable.  And, I think, it is often symptomatic of a lack of ambition and long-term vision, not to mention misplaced values.

My experiences

I’ve hesitated to post this for a while, out of a fear of offending any of my friends who might possibly fall into this category.  I hope I don’t.  I don’t want to offend; if anything, I want to inspire.

Eleven months ago, I moved back to my hometown to take care of my grandmother.  Now that I’m back here, I’m noticing more “gold collars” than I noticed in Washington, DC. 

That makes sense–in DC, I hung out with other people who had moved to DC for work or school.  Here in NJ, I see people who never really left NJ.  In fact, some never left home.  In DC, I wasn’t in an position to meet many gold collars; here, I am.

So, part of it has to do with the people I chose to associate with.  But geography itself plays a role, too.

Migrants and Immigrants

Have you ever noticed how Asians are better at math than Americans in US schools?  Or how Europeans here are better at foreign languages?  Or how Mexicans work harder at manual jobs?

Obviously, those are stereotypes. 
And obviously, they are not entirely true.  Far from it.  Still, there is some truth in them.  But it’s not for the reasons people think.  It’s not really racial.

For all of those stereotypes, I believe the truth mainly stems from the same reason: transplants, by and large, are more driven than “townies” (people who have lived in the same place for their whole life, or for several generations).

The reason “the Asian kid” is so good at math is largely the same as the reason that good actors move to LA. 
While background likely plays some role, both people (or, in the case of kids, their parents) took the drastic step of moving to a new area where they thought they could use their talents to improve their lives.  They didn’t wait for life to come to them; they went out to get it.

In order to do this, they had to have the drive (and the guts!) to make a big move.  They had to be willing to take a calculated risk.  They also had to have enough street-smarts to set up the logistics of moving to a new place.  They had to work to be able to afford such a move.  And, once they arrived, they had to figure out how to live there–they had to learn the roads, find a place to live, etc.  So, it’s not surprising that someone like that will do well.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and taking yourself out of your comfort zone forces you to be inventive in how to live your life.  A new city takes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to adapt.  That’s a good thing. 

Townies and their Gold Collars

At home, though, things can be too familiar. 
You can still do well at home–very well, in fact.  But I don’t believe you will ever be pushed enough to realize your full potential.

Which brings me back to “townies,” many of whom wear gold collars. 

A gold collar, by definition, has lots of disposable income and a taste for the high-life.  Believe it or not, this can be surprisingly easy to achieve.  But it’s not without cost.  Gold collars often live with their parents.  So, they save on rent.  They often save further by not bothering to go to college.  This really bothers me, because a full-time cell phone salesman generally has the smarts to get an education, be it at a college or a trade school.  The same goes for most waitresses, sales clerks, etc. 

But the idea that college will mean a brighter tomorrow can seem pretty distant and abstract to someone who is living large off their mall job, even if they do live with their parents.  Life can stay just like it was in high school, only with more cash and no homework.  “Why give that up for the vague promises of some school or some new city?”

So, people keep working for $15/hour and living with their parents.  I don’t know how many people I’ve seen drop out of community college because this life is so appealing, and they want to further gild their lives.

But it’s not sustainable.

Essentially, they are selling their futures to finance their present consumption.  They might be able to buy really nice sunglasses, but they’ll never be able to afford a house, especially if they are accumulating credit card debt.

It’s not that I’m judging them, or pitying them, or looking down on them, or anything like that.  I have friends who could be described as “gold collars,” and I could probably be described as a “townie” myself.  So, gold collars aren’t something I hate; they are simply something that disappoints me.  I feel like a gold collar is a sign that someone isn’t pushing himself or herself enough and isn’t thinking long-term.  They are blinded by the short-term glitter of the gold, so to speak.

I just want everyone to step outside their comfort zone and try to maximize their potential.  Moving out, especially to a new city, is a great way to do that, as is getting an education.  Do one, and you will be ahead of the game.  Do both, and in the end, you will be the one who really is golden.

So, that’s why, 25 years from now, my kids will be going away to college. 

Filed under: Life, Nana, South Jersey, WHAT?! Tagged: | gold collars, graduation, money, townies