StructuralEIT--once again, have you ever done those kinds of jobs? You don't seem to have much of a clue what you're talking about. Those jobs, regardless of pay, just suck. They don't suck because they don't pay, they suck because they suck. They truly do. I can't believe I have to explain this, but here goes.
Stress levels are a lot higher in blue-collar work, especially in the service industry, than they are in professional fields. Yeah, from a big picture viewpoint the stakes may be lower, but in the immediate picture, it sucks.
Every minute of what you do is under the near-absolute control of someone else. The jobs typically involve spending a lot of time standing on one's feet, which is not healthy. You can get burned by the equipment or by spills; you can be forced to work too fast and end up cutting yourself by accident.
The job security is terrible--minor errors can often get one fired, especially in non-union workplaces, and the workers typically have a lot less financial cushion in case of job loss than do workers in the upper middle class, which also means more stress in the form of worrying about losing one's job. The atmosphere of a kitchen is often phsyically unpleasant--hot and steamy. Because the workforce is typically not educated enough to stand up for their own rights, management tends to be more abusive than they would be in a "professional" workplace.
And most professionals are in their positions because, to some extent, they enjoy doing that work, regardless of how "important" (which you seem to equate to stress) those jobs may be. Most people in the total crap jobs are in those jobs because that's what they can get, not because they find anything enjoyable about waiting tables, flipping burgers, or cleaning toilets.
Hg
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