IT and software jobs are as white collar as it gets. Call centers, maybe that's a new economy blue collar.

To me IT is blue collar, even programming is becoming blue collar too.

My friend's words were eye opener. Programming is like welding. Different languages are like different types of welding. You've got your MIG, TIG, Oxy-Acetilene. It's just the matter of learning the API.

If someone states that programming is only about learning APIs then I automatically assign him to the 'code monkey' category.

By that definition, any job requiring specific skill training is blue collar, accountants, surgeons, lawyers, ..

Maybe the only 'white collar' jobs left would be politicians and sales?

Some people consider public speaking and charisma to be learnable skills.

Yes, programming is a trade. Which is perfectly fine.

What's the difference between software engineer and oil or mechanical engineer? Same education, same pay, same collar. Management of any of them would be white collar though. It's not about wether your hands get dirty.

They are white collar as well, I just singled out software engineers because it is a type of job that is well know to be outsourced. Not sure if that is as true if oil or mechanical engineers.

Differential equations.

Nope, in the UK any tech job is "blue collar", that's how the old class system still works.

I hear this a lot, but do you mean more IT/technician jobs than software engineering/developing? I'm reasonably sensitive to class particulars and I'm pretty sure software engineering is middle class. Or at least, exactly the same as mechanical/design engineers

Its still considered a " profession" i.e. in the A or B classification

As an American software developer working perm in London for 5 years and now returning to California ( ;_; ) , I can say that salaries are 3-4 times higher in the US for the same role. Just converting the currencies.

Out of topic: I saw your other comment, I can't upvote it because it's dead (probably for other reasons), but thank you very much for your testimonial, support and encouragement.

Nobody is talking about the old British class system in this thread so that doesn't appear to be the relevant context.

Of course it is, unless you don't think IT outsourcing is "a thing"? It is literally no different to the factory or shipyard or steel mill closing in country X and reopening in country Y.

We are talking about the US election voting splits, so the British definition is interesting, but not relevant. In the US, blue collar usually means some sort of physical labor. If you are sitting at a desk, it is white collar, no matter how menial the task.

I've literally never seen any evidence of that being the case.

Lower skill may be the important distinction rather than whether it's manual labor intensive or not like we traditionally view in the US. Sitting at a computer at a click farm in a developing country is completely different than sitting and writing options trading algorithms. On the other hand, I can't think of anyone that became a wealthy by sweeping floors, hammering nails, and greeting customers at the door regardless of their country or region.