It’s About Health: Why Shift from Manual Work to Mental Work

Manual jobs are important work. Be it a skilled trade or general industry profession, modern life depends on them for infrastructure, trade, manufacturing, and more. And while skill sets vary from role to role, it’s safe to say that all manual professions are extremely physically demanding.

Repetitive movements, heavy lifting, and dangerous work environments involving tools, machinery, or even hazardous materials subject manual workers to higher degrees of risks than other professions. So it makes sense if you’re looking to shift from manual to mental work.

Here’s why a career in tech makes a lot of sense as your healthiest next step.

It’s called making a living

Manual labor is essential to the economy's health, but there’s no denying that the work is physically risky. Case in point? Manual professions make up all ten of the most dangerous jobs in the US, based on the number of nonfatal and fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time workers.

Research shows that these workers also have more health problems, are more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, have lower life expectancies, and are at an increased risk of depression and anxiety than other workers — all while being less likely to seek care.

That’s not to say one of these professions can’t be worth the risks to your well being. Just under half (48%) of manual workers say they’re highly satisfied with their jobs. Skilled trades requiring a high level of knowledge and more opportunities for advancement can be very fulfilling. And the ongoing manual labor shortage means employers are desperate to hire across different roles.

When a paycheck isn’t enough

But for some people, the physical impact isn’t worth the income. In 2021, between 6.5% and 8.4% of manual workers from construction, transportation, and production who changed jobs moved to mental professions. In 2021, almost one-third (32%) of laborers switched careers.

Here are some their motivations, which might resonate with you:

• Flexibility. The pandemic put a spotlight on the importance of supportive work environments. Many manual workers who switch careers do so because they want better work-life balance.
  
  
• Benefits. Employer-sponsored benefits such as paid sick leave or health insurance are not as widely available to manual workers. For example, only 59% of service workers had access to paid sick leave versus 93% in management and professional occupations.
  
  
• Stress. Almost half (47%) of industrial workers are stressed at their jobs and of those, 24% say the strain is having a negative effect on their mental health, and 29% say it’s taking a toll on their physical health, too.

More than paying the bills

Ultimately, a paycheck is supposed to support your life, not use it up. With the average hourly wage for manual work at $25.18 in the US, it’s not surprising that some people reach a stage when the security of regular income isn’t worth the physical wear and tear of manual labor.

While it might not be the obvious choice, going for a job in tech after a career in manual work can actually help you find more meaning, better pay, and an improved work-life balance. All that translates to a healthier life with time to pursue the things that give you a sense of purpose.

Here are three reasons to believe a career in tech is for you:

1. Better pay and benefits. Here at TripleTen, we help people from all walks of life switch to a career in tech. Our graduates come to our bootcamps making a median salary of $46,000 — upon graduating and entering the workforce, that figure jumps to $76,600.
   
   
2. Improved work-life balance. Across the board, tech companies tend to be more supportive when it comes to work schedules, with 97% offering some work location flexibility. That includes fully remote and hybrid options with a few days in the office.
   
   
3. Opportunities for growth. Tech is a dynamic and fast-evolving field. Most employers invest in some type of learning and development for their workforce to stay competitive. And internal mobility, e.g. changing roles in the same company, is commonplace in tech.

Meet Jeremy Rivera, who went from distribution to tech

Jeremy Rivera_{Balancing College, Work, Family, and a Part-Time Bootcamp to Find Tech Success: Jeremy Rivera’s TripleTen Story} is no stranger to hard work. For three years, he’d wake up every morning at three o’clock to throw boxes and fulfill orders at distribution warehouses. And while it was a fun, competitive environment, the frenzied pace and pressure to go faster started to take its toll.

“I really respect labor, I like working with my hands,” said Jeremy. “But I couldn’t work out because I was so tired, I couldn’t really hang out with my friends too much. I had to be super careful outside of work because if you get injured, that’s you out of commission for weeks.”

Jeremy knew he had to make a change and tech had been on his radar for a while, thanks to a cousin who was a self-taught programmer. He asked him how he got his start and his cousin recommended Jeremy make the transition via professional bootcamp — specifically, TripleTen.

After graduating, Jeremy had a software engineering job within three months. “I applied anywhere,” he said. “I didn’t care what the tech stack was, if it had software and or developer in the name.” Today he’s a salaried W-2 worker with insurance benefits and a hybrid schedule.

“Now I'm sleeping and caring about my mental health.”

Yes, you can make the pivot

People who switch careers with a heavy focus on reskilling are getting hired, even in this tough labor market, because employers are struggling to find quality talent. In fact, 58% of companies say they feel skills shortages are significantly impacting their business plans.

The good news? Employers don’t particularly care where your skills come from, as long as they’re demonstrable. A TripleTen survey of 1,000+ decision-makers in the US found that 79% of employers hire candidates with non-traditional backgrounds for tech roles, while 86% are confident or very confident about hiring bootcamp grads for entry-level roles.

Our Outcomes Report backs this up: 87% of our students come from a non-STEM background, while the majority (80%) do not consider themselves particularly tech-savvy. Meanwhile, 87% get hired within 180 days of graduating and 90% stay with their first employer for at least a year. 

As for affordability, there are numerous ways to pay for a coding bootcamp — income share agreements, coding bootcamp loans, or even paying for it up front, just to name a few. This article goes into the details_{Can I Afford a Bootcamp? All About How to Pay, Financial Aid, and More.} if you’re curious about these options and how they compare.

Last, but not least, compensation. As mentioned earlier in this article, the median starting salary for a TripleTen student is $46,000 and the median graduate salary is $76,600. That’s a 66% increase. Plus, tech careers offer additional benefits like flexible paid time off, health insurance, and remote work (61% of our grads land fully remote jobs) that enrich your baseline salary.

Discover more about a career in tech

Changing your career can be challenging and scary, especially when making the switch from manual work to mental work. One of the most helpful things you can do at the beginning of your journey is to hear stories from people who have been in your shoes.

Our podcast, TechStart, explores the realities of shifting careers through interviews with TripleTen students. Hosted by Will Newsom, each episode brings you candid success stories on navigating the path towards a profession in tech and what life is like on the other side.

You can explore all episodes here, or jump straight to Jeremy’s episode From warehouse to a tech company on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.