It sounds like you have your own definition of "intellectuals", which appears to mean pretty much the opposite of what it usually means.

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terminalshort an hour ago | parent [-]

I know exactly what "intellectual" means. It's someone who has spent years obtaining credentials in an economically useless subject and looks down their nose at people who would lower themselves to actually do practical work. A brilliant mechanic who can fix anything and has made millions running his business would never be called an intellectual, but someone serving coffee with a phd in English literature would.

	▲	Retric 6 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Credentials are largely unrelated to being an intellectual. A mechanic who’s been publishing poetry would easily qualify where another mechanic with a PHD in History might not. Labs also need people who maintain equipment, it’s a viable and hands on carrier path to maintain electron microscopes and such all day.