Education · 1 of 5
The path
An apprenticeship, not a degree. The hard part is getting the apprenticeship, not finishing it.
- 1
High school diploma
Grade 12
Algebra is the one that matters. Get strong, get comfortable with heights, and keep your driving record clean.
- 2
Commercial driver's license
A few weeks
Most crews need you to drive the bucket truck and the digger derrick, so a Class A CDL (commercial driver's license) is either required up front or required early.
- 3
Optional lineworker school
3 to 15 months
A 15-week to 15-month certificate at a school like Northwest Lineman College, which has campuses in Idaho, California, Texas and Florida, or at a community college. It is not required, but it puts you ahead in the applicant pile.
- 4
Get into a registered apprenticeship
Weeks to a year of waiting
Through a utility, a line construction contractor, or a joint union and employer program. Expect an aptitude test, an interview, a physical and a drug screen.
- 5
Work the apprenticeship
About 3 and a half to 4 years
Most outside line programs run about 7,000 hours on the job plus classroom work. You climb, you dig, you frame poles, you learn to work near energized conductors.
- 6
Journeyman lineworker
After your hours
You top out at the full rate, take your own truck and start training the apprentices behind you.