Zen Stewart knows firsthand that career paths aren’t linear. She wasn’t.
Now, the 34-year-old is an electrician in Raleigh, North Carolina. To be more precise, I’m a Level 4 Construction Electrician. That would have surprised her when she was younger.
“I’ve always loved fashion, design and architecture,” she tells CNBC Make It. “I never thought I would end up in the industry.”
After high school, Stewart studied several fields including interior design, graphic design, and business. None of it felt right.
“I knew deep down there was something else for me,” she says.
Stewart worked multiple jobs in retail, jewelry, sales, and telemedicine while deejaying. She was fired from her last job scheduling routes for health care workers, she says, because new software replaced the need for human workers.
“The idea of becoming an electrician didn’t cross my mind until I started getting laid off from what I thought were good jobs,” Stewart says. Stewart began researching jobs that “won’t be replaced by AI anytime soon.”
She landed in electrical work because it offered “a lot of avenues for advancement and high pay,” as well as the chance to be creative while working with your hands.
Stewart was also drawn to electrical trading over other trades because it was physically more attainable for her as a woman, she said. “I thought I could handle it.”
put her foot in the door
When Stewart told her friends and family that she wanted to become an electrician, “I was shocked,” she says. “It’s very different from anything I’ve ever done.”
“They were used to me saying, ‘Oh, I want to be an interior designer. I want to be an architect. I want to be a DJ.’ So they were like, ‘Oh, look, this is the new thing,'” she says.
Zen Stewart earned about $43,000 in 2025 as an entry-level electrical worker in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Matthew Ritenour/CNBC Make It
Nevertheless, Stewart’s mother connected her with a company electrician who happened to work at her own workplace, a jewelry store. “I literally went into their office the same day and filled out an application,” Stewart says. “The next week I was working.”
In 2025, Stewart earned approximately $43,000 doing electrical work in addition to his income from social media. In the future, I would like to increase my income, eliminate debt, and own a home.
Stewart joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in August 2025, citing benefits such as good health insurance, tuition assistance and ease of finding work. She pays approximately $57 in union dues each month.
“Big culture shock”
Stewart works most eight, sometimes 10, hours a day, Monday through Friday, but rarely works overtime on weekends or nights. She usually starts her day by waking up at 4:30 or 5 a.m.
“It was a big culture shock because I wasn’t used to being up at dawn,” she says. But “Once I got into the rhythm of things, it was really fun.”
Zen Stewart says she loves that electrical work still gives her the opportunity to use her hands and be creative.
Matthew Ritenour/CNBC Make It
One of the biggest challenges, she says, is “trying to navigate this male-dominated field as a woman.” “Yes, I feel safe and secure, but a lot of times I feel like I have to prove myself more because I’m a woman.” Stewart says her colleagues mean well, but she sometimes feels like she has to remind them, “It’s okay, I get it. You can do it too.”
Stewart is currently preparing to take the exam to become a union apprentice. Electricians can typically earn their journeyman license after completing a multi-year apprenticeship. This allows them to work in residential, industrial or commercial settings without the supervision that apprentices normally receive.
She wants to learn “how to actually run your own staff” and “how to be in charge of an entire site.” She has a union journeyman license and hopes to travel and work in different states, which she says can be lucrative.
Zen Stewart eventually wants to do industrial electrical work and travel for work as a journeyman.
Matthew Ritenour/CNBC Make It
Stewart currently works in commercial electrical work, but eventually hopes to move into industrial electrical work, which offers higher pay. After that, she would like to move into a desk role within the industry, for example in project management.
“I think about the physical toll this job takes,” she says. “I know that after a certain age you don’t want to be on the field.”
Stewart doesn’t think AI will replace skilled workers for “a very long time.” But “I see it starting to creep in,” she said, noting that she has seen bots that can map where doors should go and where walls should start. “I am confident that AI is here to stay in the construction industry,” she says.
“Every day is different”
On social media, Stewart offers reflections on his work.
“I thought if I could shed some light through my perspective of what my daily life is like, maybe other people would be interested in this industry,” she says. For those considering it, she added: “Don’t let lack of experience stop you.
Zen Stewart likes that every day at work is different, and says she can “see things from start to finish” at work.
Matthew Ritenour/CNBC Make It
As for her job, she says she likes that “every day is different” and that “I get to see things from start to finish,” from a pile of dirt to a completed building. “Then I think it’s very satisfying to turn on the lights and see everything come to life.”
Stewart hopes to one day build a house from scratch. “I still have that creative spirit,” she says. “It’s still very much alive in my life.”
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