If you drop the pejorative classist connotations of "blue collar," it always has been in the sense that programming is a craft.
Some "blue collar" people make great money too. There are numerous skills in high demand in areas like welding, specialized construction techniques, etc. that can net you a six figure income.
I agree. There are different requirements in software development jobs and some of them do require college education while others don't. It's a vast field now and not every job is the same. We just need to be careful not to look down at each other just because we assume someone's job needs less qualifications.