Getting into Lineman as a career

[LivingStrongE]

What's up gentlemen/woman,

I'm new to this site although I've been lurking for a while. I'm 23 years of age and I want to get my foot into becoming a Lineman as a career. I've been thinking about going to my local IBEW and registering for an apprenticeship but my issue is I've gotten out of the military with an OTH discharge when I was 19 and a felony charge in Florida which I got ajudication withheld (Charged not Convicted which I am eligible for expungement). Will people look down upon that? It happens all the time and I get constantly rejected which I really don't get to mad at the employers because I see where they are coming from. I want to pick up a useful and rewarding trade which I am willing to give it 110% and I'm hoping I won't get rejected for it.

Since Sandy hit Jersey, I've never thought about becoming a Lineman but it was interesting watching these guys work in front of my apartment. Gave these guys coffee which is really all I had to give but never asked about the job details. As months went by, I've researched a bit on the career field and want a change in my life and I'm willing to learn and work my ass off for it. In all any advice will greatly be appreciated. Thank you all in advance and God speed.

[Rob]

http://www.neat1968.org/

[Orgnizdlbr]

Where are you in Jersey?

i work for JCP&L, they're not training linemen at this time. If and when they do start to train people, a requirement will be to attend college for two years at the same time you attend line training at the company. It's a BS program. Stand for bul! Sh!t, not bachelor of science.....

Go to the nearest ibew Lu with line jurisdiction. Lu 456 in New Brunswick and 351 in Folsom are line locals.....

you out may want to check into PSE&G who may be training linemen.

Dont let your oth get you down, be persistent.

One net other thing you'll need is a cdl license.

[LivingStrongE]

http://www.neat1968.org/

Thanks for the info boss

[LivingStrongE]

Where are you in Jersey?

i work for JCP&L, they're not training linemen at this time. If and when they do start to train people, a requirement will be to attend college for two years at the same time you attend line training at the company. It's a BS program. Stand for bul! Sh!t, not bachelor of science.....

Go to the nearest ibew Lu with line jurisdiction. Lu 456 in New Brunswick and 351 in Folsom are line locals.....

you out may want to check into PSE&G who may be training linemen.

Dont let your oth get you down, be persistent.

One net other thing you'll need is a cdl license.

Thank you for your reply and wise words. At times it sucks to want to work but everyone rejects me for that reason. I live in Jersey City. I was looking into getting in contact with IBEW 164 in Paramus and see what they have in store. I've contacted PSE&G but they don;t have any Lineman apprenticeship open at this current time. I'll do college and whatever else they need me to do, I just want to get my foot in the door. Once again thank you for your advice.

[Ridgeway]

I don't know anything about how an OTH would affect things, but I've got a couple (non-violent, non-sexual) felony convictions from my reckless early 20's. And I know just how hard that can make it to get work. I've been told by someone that's been in the industry for decades that, at least through the Union, they don't care. I've already been through the interview process and a background check was never mentioned. It seems that in this field, it's a matter of what you can do, not what you have done. It's a real relief and still seems too good to be true.
As far as only getting into it now goes, don't sweat it. Yeah, I think most of us wish we had gotten this figured out right out of high school (although if I had, I probably would've just ****ed it off like I did with everything else). I'm 32 and just now getting into it and have met people even older getting started. I never even thought about it before last year. It just never occurred to me one way or the other. I was going to school to be a wind turbine technician and learned about this field and it sounded like a better option in every way. Some of these guys say they've known all along that this is what they wanted to do. That's great. But I don't think that it has to be the case.
I will say that if you've got the time and ability to do so, you might want to take care of a few things ahead of time to make yourself a more attractive candidate (a good idea for anyone). I got my Class A CDL, CPR/First Aid, and OSHA cert. I was told a flagger's card is a good idea. And to sign the books at the union hall as a groundsman. Also, if you go through an apprenticeship program, some of them (the one I'm going through, anyway) require that you've taken a college level algebra and passed with a "c" or better. It might not be a bad idea to take it at your local community college so that when everything's lined up, you can apply right away, rather than having to wait until the next semester starts and finishes.
Hope this helps.
Good luck!

[LivingStrongE]

I don't know anything about how an OTH would affect things, but I've got a couple (non-violent, non-sexual) felony convictions from my reckless early 20's. And I know just how hard that can make it to get work. I've been told by someone that's been in the industry for decades that, at least through the Union, they don't care. I've already been through the interview process and a background check was never mentioned. It seems that in this field, it's a matter of what you can do, not what you have done. It's a real relief and still seems too good to be true.
As far as only getting into it now goes, don't sweat it. Yeah, I think most of us wish we had gotten this figured out right out of high school (although if I had, I probably would've just ****ed it off like I did with everything else). I'm 32 and just now getting into it and have met people even older getting started. I never even thought about it before last year. It just never occurred to me one way or the other. I was going to school to be a wind turbine technician and learned about this field and it sounded like a better option in every way. Some of these guys say they've known all along that this is what they wanted to do. That's great. But I don't think that it has to be the case.
I will say that if you've got the time and ability to do so, you might want to take care of a few things ahead of time to make yourself a more attractive candidate (a good idea for anyone). I got my Class A CDL, CPR/First Aid, and OSHA cert. I was told a flagger's card is a good idea. And to sign the books at the union hall as a groundsman. Also, if you go through an apprenticeship program, some of them (the one I'm going through, anyway) require that you've taken a college level algebra and passed with a "c" or better. It might not be a bad idea to take it at your local community college so that when everything's lined up, you can apply right away, rather than having to wait until the next semester starts and finishes.
Hope this helps.
Good luck!

This is perfect! Thank you brother. Yeah I wanted to get my CDL but at this time I can barely pay my bills with my current job. I'm rolling the dice with this decision in life. I can get certified for CPR/AED since I was certified before in the Navy and I'll look into OSHA certs and Flagger's certs for sure. Yeah my felony is non-violent. Lol I remember people asking me what I wanted to do in life and I had no clue what I wanted to do. Thank you again for the advice!

[smoke_eater]

Keep your chin up brother! Just cuz you "lived a little" early on, and now there's proof on paper about it, doesnt by any means make you a bad guy. TRUST ME. The way employers look at anyone who has any little thing nowadays is ridiculous.

Not to hijack yur thread bro, but for the guys who reccommended to "get your OSHA cert..."; what is this OSHA cert and what classes do you look under in order to find one?

[Ridgeway]

I got certified when I was in school to be a wind turbine technician. I may be wrong, but I think that it, along with first aid/cpr, might be something that's taken care of as part of the schooling part of the apprenticeship program. I've looked at some of the job postings online, and some of them do require it, though. If it's not covered through the apprenticeship program, I'm sure you can get it through a local community college.