Bringing manufacturing back to the US won't mean a return of old assembly line jobs. The real opportunity is to leapfrog to automated factories that produce sophisticated, tech-infused products. This creates a new class of higher-skill, higher-pay "blue collar plus" jobs focused on building and maintaining these advanced manufacturing systems.

A thriving innovation economy cannot be sustained by only creating jobs for the highly educated. The most resilient strategies deliberately select tech sectors like cybersecurity and drone maintenance which offer a wide range of accessible jobs, creating pathways for the existing blue-collar workforce to upskill and participate.

The core issue behind America's economic and educational struggles is a cultural shift away from valuing ambition, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence. Society no longer shames mediocrity or celebrates the relentless pursuit of goals, creating a population unprepared to compete on a global stage.

AI will primarily threaten purely cognitive jobs, but roles combining thought with physical dexterity—like master electricians or plumbers—will thrive. The AI-driven infrastructure boom is increasing demand and pushing their salaries above even those of some Silicon Valley engineers.

Developed nations are building massive infrastructure projects like data centers, yet the construction workforce is aging and shrinking. This creates a critical bottleneck, as every project fundamentally relies on excavator operators—a role younger generations are avoiding.

Instead of trying to reclaim low-cost assembly jobs, the U.S. should leapfrog to advanced manufacturing for complex future products like robots and electric vehicles. This strategy creates a new category of higher-skill, higher-paying "blue collar plus" jobs that are more resilient to offshoring.

The national initiative to reshore manufacturing faces a critical human capital problem: a shortage of skilled tradespeople like electricians and plumbers. The decline of vocational training in high schools (e.g., "shop class") has created a talent gap that must be addressed to build and run new factories.

AI is rapidly automating knowledge work, making white-collar jobs precarious. In contrast, physical trades requiring dexterity and on-site problem-solving (e.g., plumbing, painting) are much harder to automate. This will increase the value and demand for skilled blue-collar professionals.

Most AI applications are designed to make white-collar work more productive or redundant (e.g., data collation). However, the most pressing labor shortages in advanced economies like the U.S. are in blue-collar fields like welding and electrical work, where current AI has little impact and is not being focused.