White collar can always move up the value chain. White collar work didn’t go away when spreadsheets went from paper to digital or when spreadsheets turned into SaaS applications. Software getting cheap expands the market for software and always has.

AI makes higher education even more valuable as it becomes even more important to have better logic, reasoning, and creative skills than a computer or robot. In the trades you’ve got no recourse if an automatic bricklaying machine comes out.

Trades end up running into the problem where you can only do so much work in an hour. Your customers will only pay $XXX to get a new toilet installed and you can’t install 10 toilets at the same time time.

Plus, the trades wreck your body. I recently served on jury duty and the lead lawyer for the plaintiff told the court she was over 70 years old. I don’t know any 75 year old plumbers.

The most boring reality is the most probable. No one is doomed.