I've done both blue-collar, shitty industrial jobs and white-collar cushy programming jobs. If they both paid the same, I'd be very tempted to take the blue-collar job. There's something very fulfilling about working with your hands and producing something tangible. As bad as turning wrenches or pumping a grease gun can be, days of endless meetings with obtuse stakeholders or perpetual yak-shaving aren't any better.
Bodies break down faster than minds. Ceterus paribus an office worker will have a longer career than a factory worker because their mind will still be sharp when the factory worker has arthritis.
