Were Software Engineers blue-collar workers all along?
The author explores the evolving identity of software engineers, questioning whether they should be classified as blue-collar skilled tradespeople rather than white-collar professionals. The piece suggests that this reclassification might help developers better navigate the economic disruptions caused by AI.
Why it matters
Redefining the professional identity of software engineers could shift how the industry approaches labor rights, education, and the impact of automation.
There’s a common idea among economists that you can broadly split employees into two categories. “White-collar” workers are typically people who work in offices doing service-based, knowledge-based, managerial, or administrative work; “blue-collar” workers generally do manual labour or perform skilled trades.
Since at least the start of my career, software engineers have been considered white-collar. We work in offices at computers, and we deal with knowledge. Our work requires advanced training or education.
But what if that assumption has been incorrect? What if we were actually blue-collar, skilled tradespeople all along?
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