Blue Collar Pride

What does finishing have in common with gelato-making and glass-blowing?

JIM DESTEFANI, Editor Contact me

They are all professions that still rely on skilled manual labor to produce high-quality products.

Recently, BusinessWeek.com posted a slideshow of 20 professions that rely on the use of skilled manual labor. “Once upon a time people toiled in trades,” says the accompanying text. “They used their hands to craft useful and decorative objects from scratch from materials that lasted for lifetimes.” Finishing isn’t included in Business Week’s list, but many finishing operations still rely on trained professionals using skills and experience honed over years.

In the October issue of PF, I highlighted the work of Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel TV show Dirty Jobs. Rowe has become a kind of de facto spokesman for blue collar professions and the value of physical work, a message fleshed out on his new Web site.  Rowe understands that blue collar jobs are about more than hard physical work and getting dirty—they’re about practicing and honing a craft. And although he’s unlikely to end up in a gelateria (or, for that matter, a finishing shop) any time soon, his larger point is that there is real pride to be taken in doing that kind of work.

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