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The Art of Manliness

#642: Finding Money and Meaning in the Blue Collar Trades

The Art of Manliness

The Art of Manliness

Philosophy, Society & Culture, Education

4.714.8K Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2020

⏱️ 37 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When it comes to living their best life and building substantial wealth, many young men's first thoughts turn to developing a new app or starting a popular YouTube channel. They don't think about digging ditches. But that's how my guest today became a millionaire, and he thinks more folks should consider seeking not only financial success, but true comfort, peace, and freedom, by rejecting society's standardized white collar career path, and looking into alternative routes through the skilled trades. His name is Ken Rusk, he's a construction business entrepreneur who's also been a life coach and mentor to hundreds of his employees, and he's the author of Blue Collar Cash: Love Your Work, Secure Your Future, and Find Happiness for Life. Ken and I begin our conversation with how a guy who got a job digging ditches in high school and skipped college went on to create a multi-million dollar construction business. We then talk about how there aren't enough people pursuing blue collar work, and how this "skills gap" regarding the trades is driving up demand, and in turn, the potential income to be made in this field. Ken talks about the cost-benefit analysis of going to college versus learning a skilled trade, and the advantages to the latter. He then explains the often underappreciated reward of blue collar work, which he calls "the step back moment." From there, Ken shares some stories of folks who found fulfillment pursuing blue collar work, and even made that switch later in life. Along the way, Ken shares the life advice he gives employees and job seekers about how to manage their money, set goals, and pursue their own version of happiness and success.

Get the show notes at aom.is/bluecollarcash.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

[♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪

0:07.4

Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast.

0:11.2

When it comes to living their best life in building substantial wealth, many young men's

0:14.6

first thoughts turn to developing a new app or starting a popular YouTube channel.

0:18.2

They don't think about digging ditches.

0:20.0

That's how my guests today became a millionaire.

0:21.8

He thinks more folks should consider sinking not only financial success, but true comfort

0:26.0

peace and freedom by rejecting today's standardized white color career path and looking

0:29.5

into alternative routes through the skilled trades.

0:31.6

His name is Ken Rusk.

0:32.6

He's a construction business entrepreneur who's also been in a life coach and mentor to hundreds

0:36.2

of his employees.

0:37.2

He's the author of Blue Collar Cash.

0:38.8

Love your work.

0:39.8

Secure your future and find happiness for life.

0:42.1

Ken and I begin our conversation with how a guy who got a job digging ditches in high

0:45.2

school and skipped college went on to create a multi-million dollar construction business.

0:48.8

We then talk about how there aren't enough people pursuing blue collar work and how this

0:51.7

skills gap regarding the trade is driving up demand and in turn the potential income to

0:55.9

be made in this field.

0:57.2

Ken talks about the cost benefit analysis of going to college versus learning to skilled

1:00.3

trade and the advantages to the latter.

...

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