Blue Collar Brilliance By Mike Rose

The first job someone has is often memorable in many ways, they are earning their own money, accepting a new form of responsibility, and they’re usually treated horribly because their position is seen as inferior. In today’s world, people who work jobs that don’t require a degree are looked down upon. It is often ignored that the resources that are needed to obtain the education that is required for a white collar job, are not available to everyone. A certain intelligence that comes of blue collar workers and what they must deal with is also dismissed. There is no shame in being a blue collar worker, it requires a completely different skill set that cannot be taught. “Blue Collar Brilliance,” by Mike Rose sheds some much needed light on the intellect that is required of blue collar workers. Rose tells the story of his mother who always …show more content…
Rose references his mother's ability to multitask when she was a waitress not only doing the things her job required, but understanding the underlying needs of every one of her customers. Blue collar workers sign up not only for a job that is disrespected, but to be disrespected, this may have made them master minds when dealing with rude customers. For example, my close friend who works at Domino's, deals with at least three “displeased” customers every night. Example of how Sam deals with rude customers. Encounters like this builds his and others’ people skills. The ability to stay calm when getting chewed out and continue to go about the day as if nothing happened, isn’t going to be something that you are taught, just something you acquire. That is what blue collar workers do, they learn as they go and pick it up fast, just as many professors expect someone to do in their class. I don’t know why this learning is disrespected, it is the same learning we do in class just in an informal