At just 23 years old, Jacob Palmer of Concord, North Carolina, is proving that a successful career does not always require a college degree.
Instead of taking on student loans and classroom lectures, Palmer chose the skilled trades and built a thriving career as an electrician.
Today, he runs his own business and earns a six-figure income.
According to a recent report from Fortune, a 23-year-old electrician who skipped college is now earning six figures while running his own business. Jacob Palmer grew up excelling in academics, but when faced with the choice of going to college or entering the workforce, he saw a clear opportunity in the electrical trade.
He began as an apprentice, learning directly from seasoned professionals and gaining the practical experience that textbooks often cannot provide. Within a few years, Palmer developed the technical skills, industry knowledge, and client relationships needed to launch his own company.
The demand for electricians across the United States continues to rise as more communities expand housing, renewable energy, and data infrastructure. This growing need for skilled workers has created opportunities for young people willing to train in the trades.
Electricians often command competitive wages, with many earning above the national average, and those who own their businesses have even greater income potential.
Palmer’s story highlights a broader trend among members of Generation Z who are questioning the traditional four-year degree path. With rising tuition costs and concerns about student debt, many young adults are looking to skilled trades like electrical work, plumbing, and HVAC for stable and lucrative careers.
For Palmer, success came from a mix of hands-on learning, discipline, and a willingness to pursue a different path than most of his peers. His journey demonstrates that electricians who invest in their craft can achieve financial independence, career flexibility, and the satisfaction of building something on their own terms.
As more young people weigh career choices, stories like Palmer’s show that the skilled trades remain one of the strongest paths to both financial security and professional growth.
Fortune
Meet a 23-year-old electrician who was a ‘good student’ but skipped college to join Gen Z’s blue-collar revolution. He makes 6 figures
Growing up in Concord, North Carolina, just outside Charlotte, Jacob Palmer was a classic academic achiever. “I was a good student,” he says in an interview with Fortune. “In high school, I participated in all types of extracurriculars, student leadership, I did a lot of public speaking. I had all sorts of friends.” But he said something changed during the pandemic. “School looked drastically different doing online classes and Zoom calls. It felt very intangible.” He says he figured out pretty quickly that online college “didn’t work for me. I hated it.”
Palmer said that instead of sticking with college, he tried things out, including a stint at a FedEx warehouse for several months, and a change of scenery at his grandparents in rural Virginia, where he worked at a factory for a few months.
When he returned home, in need of a job, his mom was putting in a hot tub and she mentioned the electrician working on it was “super passionate and loved his job.” Palmer said he sounded him out, estimating that the electrician was about 29 at the time, and Palmer liked that he worked for himself. “I had a general interest in working with my hands, fixing and making things, as well as a basic understanding of electrical theory from my time in AP Physics class.” Soon afterward, he started as a full-time apprentice at a small, Charlotte-based contracting firm, earning $15 an hour at first and working his way up the ladder.
