A 27-year-old woman dropped out of college to work as an electrician and now she’s making $200,000 on TikTok

Lexi Abreu is an electrician who earns $200,000 a year. But it’s not her employer who pays her a lot of money.

When Lexi Abreu graduated from college with a pre-med degree in 2019, people expected her to find a job in science or health care.

However, although the 27-year-old initially wanted to become a surgeon, after working in a hospital while at school she decided it wasn’t for her.

She told Business Insider: “I hated it. I thought… ‘I’m not a sociable person. I shouldn’t be here.”

And so Lexi, who interned at an electrical company in 2015 and continued working as an electrician while studying, became a full-time electrician.

“It’s extremely satisfying. Once you’re done with the job, you can turn on the electricity and see the entire system working right in front of you,” she explained.

“Unlike working in an office, where you go to the same building every day, I work in a different place every day. Every day I experience different things and meet different people.

“When I finish a piece of work, I feel a sense of accomplishment and closure. I finish it and move on to the next one. I don’t feel like it’s one long job forever.”

And the solitary nature of the job suited her. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Lexi often worked solo.

“When the pandemic ended, I realized I wanted to keep doing this.”

Now he earns big money by showing his work on social media.

Lexi began posting posts of herself lifting heavy equipment and fixing lots of wires in 2022, and has since gained over 2.2 million followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, he now earns as much as $200,000 a year through social media, including through brand deals with companies.

Even though she earns much more online than she normally does – the average electrician in New York earns about $70,000 a year – Lexi has no plans to cut her hours.

She told the Journal she wanted her company to know she was a trustworthy employee. And working fewer hours would mean less content.

Lexi is one of many Generation Z Americans who are choosing a career in retail instead of a traditional college degree.

As the high costs of university attendance and degrees no longer guarantee lucrative jobs, more and more young people are abandoning degrees in favor of a more vocational education.

The National Student Clearinghouse reported that enrollment in vocational courses increased by about 16 percent last year, the highest increase since 2018.

Featured image: TikTok/@lexi_abreu/Instagram/@lextheelectrician

Topics: Money, US News, New York, TikTok