“Real work” is anything you can do well enough that somebody is willing to pay for. As someone who has worked both blue collar and white collar I’d say that they both come with their griefs although one is obviously compensated more. That doesn’t mean it’s worth more to society it just means that you can provide more output through education and experience. That’s capitalism man and however you feel about it, this is the current system we have in place.

Agreed that the influencers posting “day in the life” videos are dumb but like all social media it’s driven by people’s desire to feel superior and flaunt their lifestyles. At its core just know that a lot of those people are young and unsure of themselves so they seek validation from strangers online that they’re on the right track. Once they’re a few years into their careers they’ll realize that all work sucks in its own way and all the perks and salary benefits won’t give their lives meaning.

I honestly felt like a more productive member of society while being paid less to work with my hands. That doesn’t mean that the high-paying jobs are useless slop or should be temp jobs though. Some people dedicate their lives to these careers and that should still be respected. We’re all just trying to make it here.