10 top-paying US blue-collar jobs

I'm a retired Union Field Construction Boilermaker. I started out going to welding school just to learn to weld to do work on my motorcylces. Found out I could make a good living at it anywhere in

the country, or overseas. I contuinally worked at it and practiced to be better and learn all the

current skills involved in the trades. Retired I make a pension that is as good as if I was working

at a 40 hour a week constuction job 50 weeks a year. You will never find that kind of a benefit any-

where else in the working world now days, as all other employers are taking away any benefits

paying less for more hours worked. Go to a trade school, learn industrial tech welding, pipe

fitting and any other mechanical work that you can. The opportunities are much better than they are for a college education. Many people I know who got a college degree ended up in the buliding trades and made better money at it. After getting a welding cert. from a tech school take

any welding job that comes up and continually look for a better welding job and go to the Trade

unions and apply for their appreticeships. The appreticeships continually add new appretices

to their rosters. If you try to be as good as you can be you will succeed. I put 35+ years in the trade and enjoyed it the whole time. I followed the advice of one of the first old timers I worked with. He told me to move around in the trade to learn everything I could about it.  rl

Iv'e had 2 of the best jobs out there, and like most of them, if you build it the $$$$ will come. I'm a idiot, no I really am, its true , must be because my ex told me I was everyday, and she was never wrong, again she said that too.

But I was a comerical underwater welder for almost 6 yrs. I had a really bad accident with a 180 ton ship and the dock, when all was said and done I lost but I never gave up hope. Hope I could walk once again and second take care of my family. But it wouldn't grow anymore, due to the ship and dock and my insides.

After 3-4 yrs and 13 operations I am now a comerical pilot, no I really am ask my ex she can't even believe I was dumb enough to try and become one. I waited until she was re married before I told her because she thought I was laying around in my wheelchair getting fat and being a idiot. But to all the guys out there who had a wife like mine, they care about nothing but $$$ and so while I was laid up in the hospital yr after yr she devorsed my crippled **** to find another sugar daddy.

But really people if you see yourself doing what it is your passionate about really passionett then do it work really hard at it, dont follow all the other guys complaining they dont want to work they think they are worth so much more then they make, but just keep your eye on what you want to make of it, not what someone else said. You can make a lot of $$ just dont let anyone or anything stand in your way. Even f your a idiot like me !!!!

And that shinking too as third world countries are learning from America's technology and business is outsourcing and selling out America.

Thats true. electrician here  and have worked in residential, commercial and industrial. Worked for Alcoa, Nissan North america, and now Transcanada and i still got dirty at all of them. LOL. But they all pay well and a man can support his family which is what really what counts! All paid more than i could have made with a degree in journalism which was what i started studying in college but completed trade school in 11 months in a 18 month course with very little student loan debt.