It's kind of weird. I've worked both physical jobs and desk jobs, and could never imagine actually wishing a computer/desk job on either of my kids (thankfully they're not at all interested so far, so I think they've dodged a bullet). Interestingly, I have a good friend that was a bed-side nurse since she was 16 all the way through 36, at which point, she switched to a nurse manager position basically being behind the computer all day. This woman has worked a 12 hour shift most of her life, standing or walking, and lifting during the vast majority of that shift, yet couldn't understand why her back, hips, wrists and knees were killing her after 8 hours of sitting at a computer (not to mention her weight gain).

On the flip side of this many actually do prefer their manual labor jobs. My father in law and brother in law both run their own contracting businesses (one does concrete, the other builds Med Expresses) and their workers and themselves have both said they would never want a desk job and don't know how I stare at a computer all day long.

This!!