A WORKER who once earned £16,000 in one month has revealed people still look down on him as he doesn't have a degree.
Ben Poulter, 42, has been an electrician for 23 years and now works for himself from his home in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
The dad-of-three makes an average of £4,000 every month, equivalent to a salary of around £50,000.
And he never needed to fork out for a degree.
Ben told the Sun Online he has faced office workers looking down on him, but he knows his job is always safe.
He added: "I've faced judgement maybe from a guy who works in an office who might look down on me because I'm just an electrician.
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"But if their business goes under they're done, whilst I have built my brand and a level of trust so I'll always have work.
"They sit in their fancy homes with their Teslas and think highly of themselves but they're never safe while they're working for someone else. Build a great reputation and you can move anywhere."
Ben did an electrical apprenticeship when he was 19 to get into the industry.
And after years of working for companies he went solo and now gets to dictate his own working hours.
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He said: "During my best month I made £16,000 changing lightbulbs at a well-known restaurant chain. I worked from 6am to 10am for two weeks but it was worth it."
Ben also runs his Toolbox Talks podcast to teach other electricians how to be successful.
He now has time to teach his daughters to drive and invests in his motocross and snowboarding hobbies.
He said: "When I was younger all I did was work. Now I know the value of free time and I work to fund my time off. You always spend as much as you make so my free time is most important to me."
KEY TO SUCCESS
The key to success as an electrician is being social and talking to people, he added.
"You do have to be social. The only way to get and keep business is to build a rapport with clients. Then they suggest you for more jobs. It's really important.
"We earn good money, it's like any profession. If you have a good reputation you succeed. You can't just say today I'm going to be an electrician though, you do need to get qualified."
Ben, who drives a £25,000 Volkswagen Transporter van, now has spare time to teach his daughters to drive.
He added: "They don't have a lot of time to spend with me so it's amazing to have the chance to take them out driving. I wouldn't have this with a normal nine to five job.
"I was able to take time off to climb the three peaks in the UK. It's amazing the freedom that comes with earning a good wage."
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It comes after electrician Danny Webb, 42, claimed people don't take his job seriously.
And a glam female electrician said she gets creepy comments for being "on my knees".
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