i got a few questions for you guys about being a linemen?

[RRRamirez]

hey everyone thank you for those of you who chose to read all of this. ill start this off by introducing myself, im ricky and im a 21 yr old from northern california. and just recently i been thinking about being a lineman temporarily for 2 reasons:

1. i want to move out of my moms house, and i talked to a lineman in the grocery store oneday and he was telling me how he just got out of NLC(Northwestern Linemen College) and how he got hired from PG& E right off the bat and is making 5,000 a month.

2. my teeth are in slightly bad shape and i hear lineman get very good medical insurance so that would also be a reason.

when i said temporarily, its because i plan to be an x ray technician. unlike a bunch if not most of you, i have never had the goal to be a lineman or even had it pass my mind. i actually didnt know how serious people took being a lineman, theres like alot of lineman pride and stuff. anyways so i really dont know much about this line of work and thought since you guys do, you could give me the low down about being a lineman. just to let you guys know how uninformed i am about being a linemen, i had to google the security question haha! i plan on attending NLC next yr after i deal with my legal issues. so the point of this thread is because i would like any of you to tell me the dangers of being a linemen along with the benefits just so i know what im getting myself into. i also have a few questions if u guys can help me out with that that would be coo


if i work as a linemen, is there enough time to go to college?

how much money do linemen usually make on average when they first begin?

peopel who have attened NLC, how well do they teach you about safety?

is the insurance really as good as i hear?

no offense to the people in oregon but i heard that line men over in oregon really get screwed out of money they should be getting, is this true?

[reppy007]

hey everyone thank you for those of you who chose to read all of this. ill start this off by introducing myself, im ricky and im a 21 yr old from northern california. and just recently i been thinking about being a lineman temporarily for 2 reasons:

1. i want to move out of my moms house, and i talked to a lineman in the grocery store oneday and he was telling me how he just got out of NLC(Northwestern Linemen College) and how he got hired from PG& E right off the bat and is making 5,000 a month.

2. my teeth are in slightly bad shape and i hear lineman get very good medical insurance so that would also be a reason.

when i said temporarily, its because i plan to be an x ray technician. unlike a bunch if not most of you, i have never had the goal to be a lineman or even had it pass my mind. i actually didnt know how serious people took being a lineman, theres like alot of lineman pride and stuff. anyways so i really dont know much about this line of work and thought since you guys do, you could give me the low down about being a lineman. just to let you guys know how uninformed i am about being a linemen, i had to google the security question haha! i plan on attending NLC next yr after i deal with my legal issues. so the point of this thread is because i would like any of you to tell me the dangers of being a linemen along with the benefits just so i know what im getting myself into. i also have a few questions if u guys can help me out with that that would be coo


if i work as a linemen, is there enough time to go to college?

how much money do linemen usually make on average when they first begin?

peopel who have attened NLC, how well do they teach you about safety?

is the insurance really as good as i hear?

no offense to the people in oregon but i heard that line men over in oregon really get screwed out of money they should be getting, is this true?

Well it goes like this............what if we changed positions and I wanted your advice............and in the first paragraph I told you that I wanted to be a brain surgeon,,,,but only temporary .......to get my nose fixed............Im going to leave it at that cause i have the feeling that the answers you get will not be the answers that you want.........but anyway good luck............i guess what I am saying is that there are plenty of guys that want to become a lineman.........................and that doesnt include you.

[BigClive]

To the best of my knowledge the insurance does not cover teeth as many linemen use them to strip cable and occasionally when the power is left on accidentally it blows their teeth clean out their heads. you can tell the ones this has happened to because there are food stains down the front of their overalls where they have dribbled.

If you plan on being an X-ray technician then you'll find linework very similar in that both involve high voltage, although you get less splinters from X-ray machines. You also tend to cut out a lot when you climb X-ray machines with spikes, and it scratches the paint really badly.

[wantafastz28]

Sounds like a waste of your time and money going to a lineman school...there are literally hundreds of people more qualified and passionate about becoming one... as for pay... u wouldn't want to waste your time being an xray tech if you got a taste of a lineman's wage, if you could handle the work that is.

[iwlv433]

i have met guys like that in my trade here is my experiances with them and this is only my experiances ok. Most of the time guys like that are in it for short term money and dont care about learning the trade and learning THE RIGHT WAY!!!, they also are the first ones to be run off a job when word gets out that your only here " temporaraly". and what always kinda seemed unfair to me is that you are potentialy taking the spot of someone who really wants to be there and are in it for the long haul. I just dont see this trade as a stepping stone i look at is a carrer

[RRRamirez]

Sounds like a waste of your time and money going to a lineman school...there are literally hundreds of people more qualified and passionate about becoming one... as for pay... u wouldn't want to waste your time being an xray tech if you got a taste of a lineman's wage, if you could handle the work that is.

im sure i could handle the work, how much did you make as a beginner?

[wantafastz28]

im sure i could handle the work, how much did you make as a beginner?

I'm still trying to get started.... out of the union hall for a groundman 4 position in vacaville, it starts at 29.xx an hour....

[RadonHuffer]

and went on a good number of years in robotics repair labs and industrial controls in manufacturing plants, I could see the writing on the wall with regard to manufacturing and love high voltage and sunshine, After working a few side jobs with my old mentor I was hooked and never looked back.

I have an Xray machine in my Garage and play there with xrays.

You got to love what you do or it will kill you IMHO.

[reppy007]

and went on a good number of years in robotics repair labs and industrial controls in manufacturing plants, I could see the writing on the wall with regard to manufacturing and love high voltage and sunshine, After working a few side jobs with my old mentor I was hooked and never looked back.

I have an Xray machine in my Garage and play there with xrays.

You got to love what you do or it will kill you IMHO.

................Mr.Radonhuffer..............help me see this through........what am I missing here..........why would you have an x-ray machine in your garage............I once had a table saw,one of those old craftsman saws...........it took up too much room in my double garage.............this is starting to seem like a Frankenstein lab............maybe Mr.Ramirez has a point.............I know a lab tec will stay dry.............but explain this new way of thinking...........thanks.

[Bighorn Ape]

Sounds like you are trying to talk us into telling you yea or nay.......nay....trust me, you don't want it like the rest of us do. It's also very unlikely that you will get a great job near your home right outta line school... I have been on that hunt for two years since line school..( the great job part, because the close to home part ain't realistic)....I work for a contractor now with mid range pay and **** training... And i still love it..I WANNA BE A LINEMAN! Lol .........just like a million other future lineman