Much to the delight of “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe, there seems to be a growing trend of idolizing blue-collar jobs on social media, especially among Gen Z, who are boasting about their career fields.
On social media, younger Americans have begun showing their lives working in blue-collar fields like construction and the trades. On TikTok, the hashtag “bluecollar” has amassed more than half a million posts this year, trending quicker than it did the year before.
Among the posts and accounts growing in popularity are those that show what a day in the life of someone working in construction, electrical, plumbing, or any other manual labor or trade job is like.
Some who have started to grow their accounts spoke with the Wall Street Journal about their experience, including 27-year-old electrician Lexis Czumak-Abreu, who has more than 2.2 million followers across her social media accounts.
“You feel just like a normal person until you actually get confronted by people, and you’re like, oh, my goodness, this is real. People know who I am,” Czumak-Abreu said.
The clips Czumak-Abreu posts show her on roofs installing utility outlets or doing wiring inside homes. Now, she rakes in over $200,000 a year from social media alone, on top of her electrician salary.
Czumak-Abreu says she gets messages from people asking about her work and how they can get into the trades.
The trend comes as many look for options that don’t include spending thousands at a four-year university and carrying debt for decades.
Among those who are trying to push for younger Americans to return to the trades is the previously mentioned Rowe, who shared with NewsNation in April that the trades may offer a better path for students.
“We’re seeing lots of people go affirmatively toward trade schools, away from massive educational debt, onto a path that looks an awful lot like prosperity if you can master a skill that’s in demand,” Rowe shared.
Along with the usually cheaper schooling is an increased demand, resulting in higher-paying positions. Rowe said that lots of blue-collar jobs have openings, while white-collar positions are becoming harder to find.
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“For every five tradespeople who retire, two replace them. And it’s been that way for over a decade. I talk to people every day who are making close to $200,000 — plumbers, steamfitters, pipefitters, electricians,” Rowe said.
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