NYC surgical resident with $400K in debt went viral on TikTok making balloon art - and it's paid him $3,500 in 10 weeks - AOL

The average American carries over $65,000 in student loan debt and may spend nearly 20 years repaying it. A first-year oral and maxillofacial surgery resident in Manhattan has about $400,000 in student loan debt and finds his residency pay insufficient. He must live within 10 minutes of his Manhattan hospital, limiting housing flexibility and reducing disposable income. Medical residents typically earn around $70,000 per year, while studio apartments in Manhattan average about $4,000 per month. To create additional income, he uses balloon twisting skills developed since childhood, posts balloon art on TikTok, sells commissioned balloon sculptures for about $1,000, and considers brand deals.

"Axelrod, who is nine years into his training with another three to go, is already carrying $400,000 in student loan debt. While he does get paid for his work as a surgical resident, he told Business Insider it's not enough to pay down his loans (2) - partially because he has to live within 10 minutes of the Manhattan hospital he works at due to patient care rules."

"On average, a medical resident can expect to earn around $70,000 a year (3), though it can vary by program. Considering a studio apartment in Manhattan averages around $4,000 a month (4), it's clear most medical residents wouldn't have much extra money to put towards their student loans."

"When residency left Axelrod with no time for advance-booked gigs, he pivoted to social media. In late January, he posted a TikTok of himself making a tooth fairy out of balloons for a fellow healthcare worker - and then scrubbed in for a five-hour surgery. When he got out, he found his video had received more than 400,000 views, and he only had around 300 followers at the time."

"Since then, his burgeoning TikTok venture has earned him around $3,500 over 10 weeks - which, in Axelrod's words, "isn't nothing." He's also taken commissioned sculptures that sell for around $1,000 each and is considering brand deals to ear"

Read at AOL.com