How Blue-Collar Jobs Have Become the Building Blocks of my Career

A typical truckload for WarrenRidge Landcare

Here’s a rundown of the value I found as a landscaper and how it has impacted my professional development.

Earning Every Dollar

Blue-collar work is typically hands-on physical labor. You do jobs that leave some dirt and/or grease on your clothes…well, everywhere else too.

It’s the kind of work that makes you feel like you’re really earning that paycheck, but it’s also the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.

Each day, I got to see the fruit of my labor, and that’s a feeling that can’t be replicated.

Digging Holes and Pulling Weeds

Recently, I worked for a company called WarrenRidge Landcare.

We focused on maintaining the quality and aesthetic of customer properties.

We did everything from pulling dead plants and replacing them with new ones, lawn fertilization, and even mailbox installations!

Life-long Skills

Work Ethic

My co-worker and I once dragged 6 300+ pound trees up a hill using a push-cart. Another time, we put 20 of those same kinds of trees in the ground in under 30 minutes.

That’s the kind of work ethic I developed while I was with the company. I did the nitty-gritty tasks. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty and I don’t feel like any task to beneath me.

Blue-collar work teaches this kind of toughness and perseverance, and I know I can take that mentality into any company and be a valuable asset.

Patience

Physical labor can be aggravating if something isn’t cooperating.

When we were installing a mailbox at a customer’s house, we dug into a 4’x4’ block of concrete. It’s easy to throw a fit about that, but it doesn’t get the job done any faster.

I learned to be patient about these kinds of situations and to become surgical in the way I attacked the problem.

This kind of patience makes it much easier to work with others, tackle daunting tasks, and complete meticulous tasks.

Bonus Lesson

Warren-Ridge Landcare focuses its business on a very specific location in order to maximize profits.

The area we worked in is fairly affluent, and most of our customers were too busy to do any of their own yard work, or they lacked the skills to do some of the tasks we did for them.

We also saved a lot of money on transportation by not traveling far for jobs.

This business model taught me the importance of getting to know the kind of customer you want to target.

From Hydrangeas to Office Spaces

Blue-collar work is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a successful career.

Some of the most successful people I’ve met started off by getting their hands dirty and I know my time spent in the blue-collar world will one day be a huge part of my story too.