Schooling Storm: What it Takes to Become a Lineman

Entering any career can feel like an uphill battle and becoming a lineman is no different. Linemen work to restore and fix downed power lines, fiber optic cables, and telecommunications lines to ensure communities are not left without utilities after storms take place. In order to safely and successfully fix downed wires for communities, linemen require lots of schooling and training before entering the field. In this blog we will go through all the requirements and processes for becoming a lineman, and it may be harder than you thought.  

To be a lineman, you must meet certain criteria first including being at least 18 years of age and having a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Once both criteria are met, it is possible for anyone to take the route of becoming a lineman; and there are multiple different routes to becoming a lineman that all require vigorous schooling and training.  

The first option is going to lineman school. Lineman school offers hands-on electrical courses with a mixture of classroom and practical training and is usually offered at a vocational school, technical college, or community college. This route provides future linemen with the most schooling and training to become a lineman as it requires the most certifications and offers the most courses to prepare future linemen.  

The second and third options are far more hands on with less schooling. The second option is joining a union training program that offers apprenticeships to grow as a lineman within the union. This option allows prospective linemen to jump right into the action without sitting in a classroom before being on the field for as long. Lastly, the third option is very similar to the second option and is training from an employer. Training from an employer is very similar to the union route, but it requires getting a job with a utility or manufacturing company that offers training and apprenticeship programs. Although each route varies in education method, all three options require each person to spend 3 years becoming educated before becoming a journey-level lineman that is allowed to work independently.  

The position of a journey-level lineman is the end goal for most prospective linemen. Once reaching a journey-level lineman position, linemen can independently work on utility lines once being dispatched by a utility company for storm restoration. Maverick Storm Response Services is grateful for all the linemen who respond to catastrophic events in times when communities need them most. If you are interested in becoming a lineman or crew member for Maverick Storm Response Services, visit the ‘Contact Us’ page in the upper right-hand corner of this website!