Why did you get into the trade?

[Redneck-Moto927]

I did a quick search for a thread like this, but couldn't find anything so... The title says it all. What was your reason behind wanting to become a linemen? How did you outweigh the risk vs. reward?

[CPOPE]

I did a quick search for a thread like this, but couldn't find anything so... The title says it all. What was your reason behind wanting to become a lineman? How did you outweigh the risk vs. reward?

It was 1979, Started as a apprentice electrician 14yrs old at a High School. Greater New Bedford Vocational in Massachusetts. Seriously like it was yesterday the old crusty hard core instructor lined us up at 120V terminals on one of the test benches. Put two fingers from one hand across the terminals to feel it. "One hand Boyz" if it goes from hand to hand it will go through your heart. When your hands toughen up rough with calluses you can hardly feel it. I was hooked.....at the front of the line to get me some,,,,

12 of us graduated from the electrical shop in 83, our 30th reunion, 2 or 3 dead to drinking/drugs lifestyle, 1 killed himself and another wished he probably had after taking a 4KV flash off a ladder. Got my Journeyman license, went back to school for an undergraduate BSEE and spent 18 years with Massachusetts Electric / New England Power and then 5 years with NSTAR - Boston Edison.
Along the way NEPower paid for a Masters at Worster Polytechnic and now I work in the distributed generation end, solar photovoltaics utility interconnection. Body's shot, torn rotator cuff, on one shoulder while the other had been dislocated playing F-Ball, Both hips have been replaced.
This trade is a calling, it will chew you up and spit you out, best thing that ever happened to me and if I could still be on the trucks, in the air, workin it Hot, until the day I die, that’s where I’d like to be.

It’s not about risk vs reward, it’s a simple attitude, My Old Mad called it “If you love what you do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”

[bobbo]

Went into the airforce and went to wichita falls. Had good friends and made good friends then got out into the real world. And the skills you need for production and construction I did not have. Went into the apprenticeship and my first job was tough. Screamer foreman. I didnt really catch on and was going to quit until one guy who taught. He was fifty five and could outschool and outclimb anyone. Nobody like him because he was black. Then it all came together, the lightbulb came together. The last job we did before topping out was transferring the primary we werent going to reconductor. The overbuild transmission was already done. It was three guys on our end and five guys who hated him and did more time smoking bongs than transferring wire. Every morning we went to work while yhe others would suck ass. We were twenty poles past the halfway between us. The sad thing is I met very few real good lineman like him. Heres a guy that spent all the time into the tools and was hated. Not because his personality but his color of his skin. And he was top five and I worked with 1000s. He showed me dont get involved in the BS and politics that every place has, just do your job. The pokitics and BS has gotten worse. Today you need marginal ability to be a lineman. you learn a lot when you do everything hot. I dont like breaking load, because you have to spend alot of time planning, scheduling, when you can just get itt done, oh your not finished come back tommorrow.i had three reallt good people who formed me. Its hard nowadays because a lot of people walk around with a lot of ego and they dont know much. And my mind is open every day. I learned more in my last 5 than my first 5.