Linemen?

Naanak
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Naanak
Anyone here happen to be one? How is the work life balance? A long time family friend says he can help me get into the local but he also says he has no life outside of work. I work 40-50 hours a week now and still have ample time to ride and do the things I enjoy. Basically how is it for any of you?
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KDXGarage
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KDXGarage 10/22/2018 4:52pm
10/22/2018 4:52pm
I was thinking O line or D line, but it turned out to be this:

Good luck!

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BMSOBx2
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BMSOBx2 10/23/2018 2:21pm
10/23/2018 2:21pm
It's hard work in all kinds of weather. I worked for PG&E for 26 years and every year linemen were involved in the most fatal accidents. You're guaranteed to have bad knees if you do it for very long. How you feel about heights? 60 foot poles are no joke.
Naanak
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Naanak 10/23/2018 3:06pm
10/23/2018 3:06pm
BMSOBx2 wrote:
It's hard work in all kinds of weather. I worked for PG&E for 26 years and every year linemen were involved in the most fatal accidents...
It's hard work in all kinds of weather. I worked for PG&E for 26 years and every year linemen were involved in the most fatal accidents. You're guaranteed to have bad knees if you do it for very long. How you feel about heights? 60 foot poles are no joke.
Thanks for the reply. I do tree work now and although i don’t climb regularly (mostly do ground stuff) I have been pretty far up in a tree and have used the bucket a good amount of times. I should be good with heights and I know I’m fine with all weather. I think the main thing holding me back from trying is the time aspect. I don’t mind long hours but I also enjoy my weekend or Sunday off for moto and other things.
NorCal 50+
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NorCal 50+ 10/25/2018 11:47am
10/25/2018 11:47am
I have a huge amount of admiration for what these guys do. When a storm hits and people are snuggling with their hot cocoa these people are headed out to climb poles and fix power lines. It looks like a really gnarly job.
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JPT
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JPT 10/25/2018 12:18pm
10/25/2018 12:18pm
KDXGarage wrote:
I was thinking O line or D line, but it turned out to be this:

Good luck!

First thing I thought of.
plowboy
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plowboy 10/25/2018 3:18pm
10/25/2018 3:18pm
They make good money but earn every penny of it. Most jobs that require a hard hat are demanding and carry some risk.
borg
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borg 10/25/2018 5:41pm
10/25/2018 5:41pm
As long as you are OK with this, you will be fine.

newmann
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newmann 10/25/2018 6:32pm
10/25/2018 6:32pm
borg wrote:
As long as you are OK with this, you will be fine.

One of my friends would change the light bulbs on radio towers here locally. Not me...Woohoo
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Naanak
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Naanak 10/25/2018 7:24pm
10/25/2018 7:24pm
borg wrote:
As long as you are OK with this, you will be fine.

Yeah I don’t know about that. Laughing That’s definitely a job that takes some serious balls.
el moto diablo 11/6/2018 7:47am
11/6/2018 7:47am
Good work but really demanding. I did it in the telecom sector which is less dangerous then power. I saw my coworkers at 45 and 50+ and decided to take advantages of opportunities elsewhere in the company. Great platform to get started in an industry. Most companies have programs that can help you get an education to move in to a new position within.
Naanak
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Naanak 11/6/2018 9:40am
11/6/2018 9:40am
el moto diablo wrote:
Good work but really demanding. I did it in the telecom sector which is less dangerous then power. I saw my coworkers at 45 and 50+...
Good work but really demanding. I did it in the telecom sector which is less dangerous then power. I saw my coworkers at 45 and 50+ and decided to take advantages of opportunities elsewhere in the company. Great platform to get started in an industry. Most companies have programs that can help you get an education to move in to a new position within.
That’s good to hear and I didn’t think about moving up. They said the apprenticeship goes towards or helps with college credits.
Electro21
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Electro21 11/6/2018 6:01pm
11/6/2018 6:01pm
I am a 12P in the Army; Prime Power Production Specialist. We can go to an Army/Air Force Lineman school, but for the most part we don't climb much. We do get to do medium-voltage work and testing. Not a bad gig in the Army, but you have to have a few years in before you can reclass.
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JWACK
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JWACK 11/6/2018 7:18pm
11/6/2018 7:18pm
I do a similar job for the railroad. I'm a journeyman signalman and my job entails talking care of power and control systems for train traffic. If you do decide to take the leap, be prepared to be on call 24/7 and schedule your life around storms. If it storms you WILL most likely be out in it. It's hard earned mullah when your out in the freezing cold storms at all hours of the night trying to put things back together and nothing is working right!!! For me I'm going to put in a little more time to meet some financial goals and then move to a job that I'm not married to.
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