--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did a lot of blue collar work. I also…" description: "\"I did a lot of blue collar work. I also worked as a temp. I did, you know, light construction and cleaning. I did clerical temping. I also fix cars and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/david-autor-14811_blue_i-did-a-lot-of-blue-collar-work-i-also-w_1817174.jpg" --- # I did a lot of blue collar work. I also worked as a temp… ![“I did a lot of blue collar work. I also worked as a temp. I did, you know, light construction and cleaning. I did clerical temping. I also fix cars and motorcycles and electronics.” quote by David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/david-autor-14811_blue_i-did-a-lot-of-blue-collar-work-i-also-w_1817174.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/david-autor-14811_blue_i-did-a-lot-of-blue-collar-work-i-also-w_1817174.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c88/david-autor-14811_blue_i-did-a-lot-of-blue-collar-work-i-also-w_1817174.jpg) > “I did a lot of blue collar work. I also worked as a temp. I did, you know, light construction and cleaning. I did clerical temping. I also fix cars and motorcycles and electronics.” [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes a varied work history across manual and temporary jobs, highlighting diverse skill acquisition. **In simple terms:** Worked many blue‑collar and temp jobs, gaining varied skills. Key Takeaway Embrace varied work experiences for skill growth. Themes career development skill diversity work experience Mood pragmatic inspirational Type advice career When to use this quote - Job hunting - career planning - skill building Key Concepts Labor market dynamics skill transferability Questions to Reflect On - What skills have you gained from varied jobs? - How can temp work shape career paths? A Different Perspective Temporary jobs may lack long‑term stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Blue collar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-collar/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I have so much respect for people who do blue-collar work because I come from that background myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kadohata/i-have-so-much-respect-for-people-who-do-blue-collar-work-because-i/) [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) > [All white-collar work is project work. The single salient fact that touches all of our lives is that work is being reinvented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/all-white-collar-work-is-project-work-the-single-salient-fact-that/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I finished school in 1981 when there was a recession on so there was not a lot of money around or work. I worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lock/i-finished-school-in-1981-when-there-was-a-recession-on-so-there-was/) [Sean Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lock/) > [Approaching people for work has not worked for me. People who came to me with work has worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randeep-hooda/approaching-people-for-work-has-not-worked-for-me-people-who-came-to/) [Randeep Hooda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randeep-hooda/) > [Work? I never worked a day in my life. I always loved what I was doing, had a passion for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/work-i-never-worked-a-day-in-my-life-i-always-loved-what-i-was-doing/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) > [There are things that I need to work on, that I have worked on, and that I'll continue to work on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jahlil-okafor/there-are-things-that-i-need-to-work-on-that-i-have-worked-on-and/) [Jahlil Okafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jahlil-okafor/) > [I am very confident about my work because I have worked very hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawazuddin-siddiqui/i-am-very-confident-about-my-work-because-i-have-worked-very-hard/) [Nawazuddin Siddiqui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawazuddin-siddiqui/) > [It's definitely nice to come and say, 'Yeah, I put in a lot of work and I worked on the right stuff and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-bauer/it-s-definitely-nice-to-come-and-say-yeah-i-put-in-a-lot-of-work-and/) [Trevor Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-bauer/) > [Honestly, Tarek and I met through work, so we worked together before we even started dating - it's our normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-anstead/honestly-tarek-and-i-met-through-work-so-we-worked-together-before-we/) [Christina Anstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-anstead/) > [Luck and being honest and sincere about work has worked for me and helped me reach where I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kaif/luck-and-being-honest-and-sincere-about-work-has-worked-for-me-and/) [Katrina Kaif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kaif/) > [Every dollar that the boss did not work for, one of us worked for a dollar and didn't get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-dudley/every-dollar-that-the-boss-did-not-work-for-one-of-us-worked-for-a/) William C. Dudley > [Hard work and only hard work has paid off for me. Being a very small industry, hard work is a must. It has worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mammootty/hard-work-and-only-hard-work-has-paid-off-for-me-being-a-very-small/) [Mammootty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mammootty/) > [Some people see writing as a white-collar career, but I've always approached it as a blue-collar writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/some-people-see-writing-as-a-white-collar-career-but-i-ve-always/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I think coding is gonna become the blue collar work of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martellus-bennett/i-think-coding-is-gonna-become-the-blue-collar-work-of-the-future/) [Martellus Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martellus-bennett/) > [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) ## More by David Autor > [The average worker in 2015 wanting to attain the average living standard in 1915 could do so by working just 17 weeks a year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/the-average-worker-in-2015-wanting-to-attain-the-average-living/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [I did software development for a while, and I also spent several years directing a nonprofit in San Francisco that did computer education for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/i-did-software-development-for-a-while-and-i-also-spent-several-years/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [China's rise is really a kind of a world historical event. This is the largest country in the world. It has caused a wholesale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/china-s-rise-is-really-a-kind-of-a-world-historical-event-this-is-the/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [Computers were programmed to swap out error-prone, inconsistent human calculation with digital perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/computers-were-programmed-to-swap-out-error-prone-inconsistent-human/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [The end of the 'tech bubble' in the year 2000 is, of course, widely recognized, as the NASDAQ stock index erased three-quarters of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/the-end-of-the-tech-bubble-in-the-year-2000-is-of-course-widely/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [The U.S. tends to export high-tech goods because we have strong comparative advantage there, and we tend to import labor-intensive and less skill-intensive goods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/the-u-s-tends-to-export-high-tech-goods-because-we-have-strong/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [If I lose my job at a furniture factory where I've worked for decades, no amount of cheaper toys and raincoats at Wal-Mart is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/if-i-lose-my-job-at-a-furniture-factory-where-i-ve-worked-for-decades/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [I'm not yet convinced that we will face an unemployment problem created by AI. There will certainly be some occupations eliminated - drivers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/i-m-not-yet-convinced-that-we-will-face-an-unemployment-problem/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [Work is what structures adults' lives: it gives us purpose, focus, a set of responsibilities, and an identity. So when people are not participating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/work-is-what-structures-adults-lives-it-gives-us-purpose-focus-a-set/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [Economists have understood since the Victorian era that the main benefits of trade come from comparative advantage: the idea that people can specialize in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/economists-have-understood-since-the-victorian-era-that-the-main/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [Here's a startling fact: in the 45 years since the introduction of the automated teller machine, those vending machines that dispense cash, the number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/here-s-a-startling-fact-in-the-45-years-since-the-introduction-of-the/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [Workers and jobs are naturally heterogeneous, and the quality of their interaction when paired is difficult to forecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/workers-and-jobs-are-naturally-heterogeneous-and-the-quality-of-their/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [There's never been a better time to be a worker with special skills or the right education, because these people can use technology to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/there-s-never-been-a-better-time-to-be-a-worker-with-special-skills-2/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [There's always new work to do. Adjusting to the rapid pace of technological change creates real challenges, seen most clearly in our polarized labor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/there-s-always-new-work-to-do-adjusting-to-the-rapid-pace-of/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) > [Workers are basically supervisors of machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-autor/workers-are-basically-supervisors-of-machines/) [David Autor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) [Explore all 45 David Autor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-autor/) ## More Blue quotes > [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [If you're white and you're wrong, then you're wrong; if you're black and you're wrong, you're wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/if-you-re-white-and-you-re-wrong-then-you-re-wrong-if-you-re-black/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Human beings should stick together. Honestly, if I see a red-haired person with blue eyes now, I say, 'Is your granny black?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/human-beings-should-stick-together-honestly-if-i-see-a-red-haired/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [The Louvre! The Louvre has me in its clutches. Every time I'm there rich blessings rain down upon me. I am coming to understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-modersohn-becker/the-louvre-the-louvre-has-me-in-its-clutches-every-time-i-m-there/) [Paula Modersohn-Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-modersohn-becker/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Mother, she likes the blue material just fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/mother-she-likes-the-blue-material-just-fine/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [You know, I'm the only one in this family who has no problems, . . . And you know why? Because any time I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-i-m-the-only-one-in-this-family-who-has-no-problems-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [it'll be this kind of deep blue”she said. “The kind of color that somehow sucks your eyes and your ears and all your words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/it-ll-be-this-kind-of-deep-blue-she-said-the-kind-of-color-that/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [It is moonlight. Alone in the silence I ascend my stairs once more, While waves remote in pale blue starlight Crash on a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-aiken/it-is-moonlight-alone-in-the-silence-i-ascend-my-stairs-once-more/) [Conrad Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-aiken/) > [The grape Hyacinth is the favorite spring flower of my garden - but no! I though a minute ago the Scilla was! and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/the-grape-hyacinth-is-the-favorite-spring-flower-of-my-garden-but-no/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) [Browse all 3,452 Blue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did a lot of blue collar work. I also worked as a temp. I did, you know, light construction and cleaning. I did clerical temping. 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