Personal Finance News Saturday 6/8

Phil's Personal Finance Tip of the Day:

10 High-Paying Blue-Collar Jobs

By Jacquelyn Smith | Forbes 

We tend to associate hefty paychecks with briefcases, neckties and lab coats – but it turns out there’s plenty of money to be earned by those who sport hard hats and coveralls.

This may be surprising considering the gradual decline of union memberships over the years and the fragile state of America’s workforce, but plenty of talented and skilled blue-collar workers earn six figures doing electrical work, repair jobs, and other labor-intensive trades.

[More from Forbes: 8 Great Jobs That Don't Require A Four-Year Degree]

Forbes combed through data gathered annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the Labor Department, to find some of the highest-paying blue-collar jobs. The BLS culls its information from surveys it mails to businesses, and it releases its Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates data each spring. The figures are for 2012.

What defines a blue-collar job? The American Heritage Dictionary says, “Of or relating to wage earners, especially as a class, whose jobs are performed in work clothes and often involve manual labor.” We took that definition and excluded work that is largely managerial or supervisory to compile our list of 10 high-paying blue-collar jobs.

Some of the professions on our list require only a high school education, but many call for extensive training and apprenticeships that can last as long as four years. To become an elevator installer or repairer, for example, you must complete a four-year apprenticeship, says John Dalton, a field operations manager for the Stanley Elevator Company. “It can take up to four and a half years, including final exams, but once you get your license, you’re really qualified to do it all.”

Dalton says elevator installers and repairers are well-rounded trade workers who never stop learning.

“There is always a new set of obstacles, a new set of opportunities, and the equipment is always changing. I’ve been in the business for 16 years, and I’m still learning.”

To read the entire article from Jacquelyn Smith | Forbes :
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-high-paying-blue-collar-121049018.html


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Hi my name is Philip J. Miano and I am the founder of PJM Personal Finance and Productivity Coaching specializing in Budgeting, Debt Reduction, Bank Reconciliations, Goal Setting, Time Management, and Organizational skills. Please visit my website: http://pjmcoaching.com.