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Comment by carlosjobim | Hacker News Reader

> The reality is that it’s long, hard, relentless, menial labor.

Which is perfectly fine to do for some time if the salary is great. Which it should be, considering the high productivity output from those kind of jobs.

Steel mill workers of your dad's generation had a much higher living standard and much more money than service or office workers of today's young generation.

Young people are supposed to work hard and build up their wealth so that they can change to a less taxing job when it's time to make a family. Not waste their time in academic institutions for 20 years and then work for a low salary.

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> had a much higher living standard and much more money than service or office workers

I don't see how you could say this with a straight face. We know at this point that factory jobs inflict physical damage to the body, a priceless artifact that no wage could replenish. I find it difficult to address your last paragraph as it's just not based in reality. Anecdotally, many people I know who take an hourly wage at factories never shift elsewhere. There is no waiting, and often they will start their families younger than their salarymen equivalent, 30 years ago or now. Perhaps they failed by your standards?

Not unexpected that people would react strongly against any mention of physical labour on this forum – and immediately take a hostile attitude.

I've done my fair share of these kind of jobs in my life and my body is great. You can do it for some years while you are young. Yes – if you do the same job your entire life you will destroy your body. Especially if you do not take care to listen to it and adapt how you work and how you exercise.

Young people should work hard and be paid well, that's how a healthy economy functions. Not by having manufacturing based on foreign slave labour.

Anecdotally, I know many people who started on the ground floor and then moved on to management or sales with experience. Or switched jobs and careers. People switch jobs all the time, staying at the same post for life is mostly a thing of the past.

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