Courtesy of Lexis Czumak-Abreu
- Lexis Czumak-Abreu started doing engineering jobs on the side while studying pre-med in college.
- She told Business Insider she enjoyed the problem-solving and physical elements of the job.
- Czumak-Abreu ultimately abandoned plans to be a surgeon. and now works as an electrician full-time.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lexis Czumak-Abreu, a 27-year-old electrician in New York state. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I became interested in medicine because my mom is a physician's assistant. I went to pre-med school, intending to become a surgeon. But now I work as an electrician.
It's extremely rewarding. At the end of a job, you can turn the electricity on and see the whole system work right in front of you.
I grew up around electricians. Several of my male family members, including my dad, are electricians. I did an apprenticeship with an electrician company in 2015 and kept up electrician jobs on the side when I needed money for my family.
I'd work between 20 and 25 hours a week as an electrician. It was second nature to me.
I wanted to become a surgeon but changed my mind
In pre-med school, I chose to specialize in phlebotomy to get my foot in the door. But I had to work in a hospital drawing people's blood all day. I absolutely hated it.
I thought: "I'm not a people person. I'm not meant to be here."
While at college, I got several personal trainer certifications and worked as a trainer on the side. But again, it didn't work for me. I'm good at speaking to people, but I'm quite antisocial. I like to work alone.
I kept up some electrical work on the side, too. I finished my degree with an associate's in pre-med in 2019, but I decided not to continue in medicine.
I became a full-time electrician instead of continuing in medicine
I could no longer work as a personal trainer under the COVID-19 restrictions. Electricians were considered essential workers. I couldn't just stay unemployed. I started working as an electrician full-time.
I'd go on jobs solo, including running my own jobs, or with another person. Once the pandemic was over, I realized I wanted to keep doing it.
No 2 days are the same
I work a 40-hour workweek. My shifts are normal 9-to-5 working hours, but sometimes our hours change. We get told in advance, though.
Unlike in an office job where you go to the same building every day, I work somewhere different every day. I experience different things and see different people every day.
When a job is finished, I feel a sense of accomplishment and closure. I can finish the job and move on to another one. It doesn't feel like one long job forever.
There are challenges and dangers
I've gotten small electrical shocks, but that comes with the job. I've had an electric shock from an outlet before. That woke me up.
Early in my career, I got a shock when I accidentally put my hand on a panel. Someone else had to pull me off the panel. I was slightly shaken after that, but it made me much more cautious.
I've never been seriously injured. When working with more dangerous equipment, you wear more protective equipment.
It's physically demanding
The more experienced you get, the higher the voltage you can work with because you need to be experienced to work with deadly voltage. I mainly do commercial jobs now, such as pole lighting or utility generators for towns or businesses, though sometimes I still do residential work in people's homes.
I prefer commercial work, but it can be tricky to troubleshoot and solve a problem when it's something I've never learned before. Moving heavy copper wire and big pipes can be labor-intensive, physical work.
I have to train in the gym to keep up with the men in the industry. Handling heavy equipment that is double my body weight can be more taxing on my body than theirs. There are days when I come home exhausted, but it's better than a repetitive office job.
I've experienced sexism
I mostly work on my own.
Sometimes, when running jobs, I feel like people aren't taking me seriously. I haven't had many negative comments, but sometimes, I can tell from people's body language that they're uncomfortable.
The worst was an older lady who asked my company if a male colleague could replace me. It used to upset me, but I don't take that stuff too seriously anymore. I know some people in the world just aren't used to that.
Once they see my work, there's no issue. Most people in the area of upstate New York I work in know me now anyway.
I'm glad I became an electrician
I'm glad I gave myself the opportunity to try other career paths to figure out they don't work for me.
I'm happy where I am and excited to move into working with even higher voltage in the future.