If a college degree is so bad, then why are you using yours?

[FakePigtails]

EXACTLY- and if you have so many more options. You wanna work in an office job? ok, but if you have your HVAC certification or whatever the plumbers license is, and times get rough? you'll possibly have a way to make some money on the side.

honestly, you'll laugh. If I could do it again, i'd go back to school for auto mechanics. I love taking shit apart and putting it back together.

Ehhhh . . . I don't really agree. I know a family making a kid do this and it's just resulting in them paying for what will probably be 5+ years of partying and getting crappy grades while the kid tries to find a major that kind-of works and may well end up being good for nothing. It seems better to send them to a trade school (or certification program or whatever) and offer to help with costs towards a BA or BS in business later if they want that. Plus plenty of people (like yours truly) know and have know for a while that running a business is absolutely the last thing we're cut out for much less would enjoy.

I'm all about the maturity and stuff that a 4-year college program results in, but if the kid has no desire to be there and no interest in the classes it's only going to do so much anyway.

[emmiedahl]

If you're talking working crab boats where it's literally non-stop every second you're on the clock, you're probably going to die young from an accident anyway. If you're talking building houses or landscaping, that's pretty damned healthy and can be done at a safer pace.

http://thehealthykey.com/?p=1077

Sitting on your butt all day sure isn't healthy.

I believe the study in question specifically mentions construction. I know my husband had many men quit in their 30's/40's due to medical problems when he was the manager of a landscaping company. Most of them seemed to have their knees go by mid-thirties. The ones who were capable of being promoted to a managerial position did so, the rest went to to??? not sure. Blue collar work generally means lifelong injury at a relatively early age. Unfortunately, it is usually from wear-and-tear so workers cannot get worker's comp.

Studies have found that blue collar workers tend to have poor health, and I am sure they were compared to office workers. I have had office jobs and I was not tied to my chair or anything. I was quite young and healthy. Moreover, I was not doing anything that left lifelong damage to cartilage or tendons. Also, there is this whole range between "sitting on your ass all day" and "lifting or pushing 100 lbs repetitively all day".

[Witsec7]

If you're talking working crab boats where it's literally non-stop every second you're on the clock, you're probably going to die young from an accident anyway. If you're talking building houses or landscaping, that's pretty damned healthy and can be done at a safer pace.

http://thehealthykey.com/?p=1077

Sitting on your butt all day sure isn't healthy.

Elle some of us who sat on our butts all day had very active lifestyles outside of the office. Not all workers who are sedentary are out of shape. Many public sector employers recognize this have have noon walking groups,and reduced gym fees. If you were lucky like me to work at uni, I had swimming on my lunch hour, rock walls to climb, the best fitness equipment money could buy and skilled trainers. And when I was employed in the private sector we still had an onsite gym. Please give up the stereotyping it really isn't fair.

riffles

[luckystone]

Elle some of us who sat on our butts all day had very active lifestyles outside of the office. Not all workers who are sedentary are out of shape. Many public sector employers recognize this have have noon walking groups,and reduced gym fees. If you were lucky like me to work at uni, I had swimming on my lunch hour, rock walls to climb, the best fitness equipment money could buy and skilled trainers. And when I was employed in the private sector we still had an onsite gym. Please give up the stereotyping it really isn't fair.

riffles

It's not to do with being out of shape, it's to do with how much time you spend sitting. If you work 8 hours a day sitting, then even if you are super fit in your spare time it's still not good for you. There have been a few studies finding this, here's a recent one: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-an ... 1vy64.html

It specifically notes that it's to do with the time sitting, regardless of the other exercise levels at other times.

I don't put a lot of stock into those studies because something seems to come out every other week saying something is good for you or something is bad for you, and they are often contradictory or poorly-designed. But I have seen this one a lot, and it is food for thought.

I'm an office worker and I do heaps of sport and gym outside of work (and take every possible opportunity to jump up and walk around at work as I can!) but sadly I don't think it's enough for me and I might have to re-train into something less office-based. I know plenty of people who had manual jobs who ended up with physical issues as well, so I think the issue is more doing the same thing all day almost every day, rather than what that thing is (barring actual freak accidents, which are another thing).

[Witsec7]

It's not to do with being out of shape, it's to do with how much time you spend sitting. If you work 8 hours a day sitting, then even if you are super fit in your spare time it's still not good for you. There have been a few studies finding this, here's a recent one: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-an ... 1vy64.html

It specifically notes that it's to do with the time sitting, regardless of the other exercise levels at other times.

I don't put a lot of stock into those studies because something seems to come out every other week saying something is good for you or something is bad for you, and they are often contradictory or poorly-designed. But I have seen this one a lot, and it is food for thought.

I'm an office worker and I do heaps of sport and gym outside of work (and take every possible opportunity to jump up and walk around at work as I can!) but sadly I don't think it's enough for me and I might have to re-train into something less office-based. I know plenty of people who had manual jobs who ended up with physical issues as well, so I think the issue is more doing the same thing all day almost every day, rather than what that thing is (barring actual freak accidents, which are another thing).

Gosh so I should have sat on my ass feeding my face for 8 hours a day because a study says it doesn't help. Makes me wonder why I took up jogging at the age of 60 and do 10 miles a day on a recumbent bike. Hell I should just pound the fat foods like josh, get diabetes and go back on BP med :roll:

[ilovetchotchkes]

Ehhhh . . . I don't really agree. I know a family making a kid do this and it's just resulting in them paying for what will probably be 5+ years of partying and getting crappy grades while the kid tries to find a major that kind-of works and may well end up being good for nothing. It seems better to send them to a trade school (or certification program or whatever) and offer to help with costs towards a BA or BS in business later if they want that. Plus plenty of people (like yours truly) know and have know for a while that running a business is absolutely the last thing we're cut out for much less would enjoy.

I'm all about the maturity and stuff that a 4-year college program results in, but if the kid has no desire to be there and no interest in the classes it's only going to do so much anyway.

Good point. Good point. I guess i'll just have to *gasp* tailor it to my individual kid ! SCANDALOUS ! (my sarcasm is meant towards the fundies not you!!!)

Ironically, my husband has an associates and makes 2x what I made with my BA. I"m a bit, no a LOT bitter about owing the equal of 2 car payments in loans with really, nothing to show for it.

[luckystone]

Gosh so I should have sat on my ass feeding my face for 8 hours a day because a study says it doesn't help. Makes me wonder why I took up jogging at the age of 60 and do 10 miles a day on a recumbent bike. Hell I should just pound the fat foods like josh, get diabetes and go back on BP med :roll:

It helps weight-wise, but apparently won't reduce your risk of certain diseases/death if the cumulative sitting down time is significant. Nobody is saying all office workers are fat and shouldn't exercise, just that sitting down for 8 hours a day isn't healthy. Which seems to be true. Unfortunately, it's something that's hard to avoid.

[emmiedahl]

I'm not saying that an office job is healthy, only that manual labor has been found to be less healthy.

[Witsec7]

I'm not saying that an office job is healthy, only that manual labor has been found to be less healthy.

I dont' see why an office job needs to be unhealthy. Heck even working for the state we weren't chained to our cubes 8 or locked in our offices hours straight every day.

[emmiedahl]

I dont' see why an office job needs to be unhealthy. Heck even working for the state we weren't chained to our cubes 8 or locked in our offices hours straight every day.

Yeah, when I had an office job I was running up and down the stairs to the copy machine and mailboxes, walking to another cubicle to talk to people, etc. It was stylish in my office to use an exercise ball rather than a desk chair. When we needed to have a meeting of 2-5 people, we would walk a few blocks away to the coffee shop. We certainly were not sitting all day.

[Witsec7]

Yeah, when I had an office job I was running up and down the stairs to the copy machine and mailboxes, walking to another cubicle to talk to people, etc. It was stylish in my office to use an exercise ball rather than a desk chair. When we needed to have a meeting of 2-5 people, we would walk a few blocks away to the coffee shop. We certainly were not sitting all day.

Exactly.

And when I moved from office work to facilities I was happy that I was fit. It helped me out a lot when I was climbing up and down buildings and crouching for hours in steam tunnels.

[Wolfie]

I believe the study in question specifically mentions construction. I know my husband had many men quit in their 30's/40's due to medical problems when he was the manager of a landscaping company. Most of them seemed to have their knees go by mid-thirties. The ones who were capable of being promoted to a managerial position did so, the rest went to to??? not sure. Blue collar work generally means lifelong injury at a relatively early age. Unfortunately, it is usually from wear-and-tear so workers cannot get worker's comp.

Studies have found that blue collar workers tend to have poor health, and I am sure they were compared to office workers. I have had office jobs and I was not tied to my chair or anything. I was quite young and healthy. Moreover, I was not doing anything that left lifelong damage to cartilage or tendons. Also, there is this whole range between "sitting on your ass all day" and "lifting or pushing 100 lbs repetitively all day".

Not to mention that if you do anything enough. I know tons of teachers with back and joint issues because we have to move some of the stuff around our rooms, but even more because we are on pavement and in classrooms with no cushioning on the floor and on our feet all day. (not to mention the hearing loss in shop, music and other teachers exposed to noise all day long. But that is getting better due to better technology for hearing protection. It still generally has to come out of the teacher's pocket though.)

[ilovetchotchkes]

Exactly.

And when I moved from office work to facilities I was happy that I was fit. It helped me out a lot when I was climbing up and down buildings and crouching for hours in steam tunnels.

So many office buildings i know near me have paths for the employees to take walks on lunch breaks, a couple have basket ball and volleyball courts and with my husband's hospital job, there's an onsite gym facility that you get a deep discount to join.

[JesusFightClub]

Although I loved it for the cameraderie and general talking to folk, try security.

Imagine a 12 hr shift where you had 2 15min breaks. And you were standing in place.

Or a front desk shift. Where a kind duty manager lets you read, an unkind one does not. 12 hours, 2 small breaks. You call for relief on the walkie talkie and have to explain why. "Sorry, I am REALLY sorry, got to, um, visit the bathroom" "Arr you sure it can't wait? We've no cover until 2 hours from now"

[emmiedahl]

Although I loved it for the cameraderie and general talking to folk, try security.

Imagine a 12 hr shift where you had 2 15min breaks. And you were standing in place.

Or a front desk shift. Where a kind duty manager lets you read, an unkind one does not. 12 hours, 2 small breaks. You call for relief on the walkie talkie and have to explain why. "Sorry, I am REALLY sorry, got to, um, visit the bathroom" "Arr you sure it can't wait? We've no cover until 2 hours from now"

Really? That is not even legal in the US. You have to have a 10 min break at least every four hours, and an unpaid half-hour break if you work 6 or more. The way that this is usually handled for an 8 hour shift is that you get a lunch break plus a break in the first half of the workday and another in the second half.

I could not handle that, I need my veg time or I go all ADHD. It must be hell for smokers!