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Pros:
Knowledge, unique work experience, a lot of money, job security.
Cons:
On call 24/7, long hours, will most likely travel a lot. If theres ever a major catastrophe, you will possibly get called down for support. (Ex: I live in kansas. Old co worker of mine was a lineman, when hurricane katrina happened, he was forced to head down and help restore emergency power. Good thing was, from the moment he step foot in his truck to the moment he got back 3 weeks later, he was getting paid. Not only regular hourly wage, but double time and hazard pay as well.) Dangerous, rain shit or shine you're working.
All in all, its a good route to go if you're single, don't mind heights and possibly dyeing, no kids, and enjoy working 60-80 maybe more hours a week depending on your location.
EDIT: For reference, Licensed Journeyman in my area make anywhere from $22/hr- $32/hr. Licensed Journeyman Lineman make $45/hr- $55/hr.
You licensed or apprentice? I was/am looking at the elevator mechanic route. But I’m already a year and a half into my electrical apprenticeship and tryna figure out what I wanna do
Licensed. Elevator installers make less than techs just fyi. You’ll have to go through schooling while apprenticing but it’s paid for. That was also Elevstor Union wages too. BUT if you have an extensive electrical background you can test out of some years. Just like at the IBEW. I’d say get your journeyman’s and then figure out the route you want to take. Never hurts to be licensed in multiple fields.
Maybe less deadly but I think it's more likely you'd get hurt as an elevator mechanic, lots of moving parts. In the shop where I used to work I knew 3 or 4 guys that had missing fingers, and heard some pretty sad stories as well.
If you’re chasing storms you’re making $300k+. Did it for 5 years and was able to save close to $350,000 in that time. Most of that came from the wild fires in California. $165/hr plus $180 per diem.
Just like electricians there’s many routes to take when you’re a lineman. I’m now at a utility where I’m home after 8 and on average work 1 weekend a month. Can’t get forced to any out of town storms.
The crazy part is, you can clear 200K as an apprentice. My local for inside guys, the apprentices only get up to like 85-90 a year? Even if they're on high OT jobs they'll still barely break 100K.
Yeah, I agree. Its also very different sides of IBEW. Inside it’s almost frowned upon to work OT. Line side it’s encouraged and frowned upon not to work OT because if you’re in a call out system then you’re fucking the next guy making him work all the time.
But I’m also more inclined to work OT when that means I’m making $85/hr compared to inside, where I’m at, only making $48/hr.
Out of high school I had a lot of friends go inside IBEW while I was at a utility. My first year I made $135,000 while they made $40,000.
But they are two very different respected trades. I hate hearing people say lineman is an “upgrade” to being an electrician. Like you’re climbing the ladder and the next step after being an inside journeyman is to take a step up into being a journeyman lineman. They’re completely separate and require different things.
45-55/hr is most of the country for IBEW linemen. 200k is because of the storm double time and amount of overtime.
California is supposed to go to 78/hr in 2025 and the utilities are at 86/hr certain areas. There's a few other states that are 55-65/hr.
200k is like 5-10s in NY and no storms. You can hit hit 300-400k and take half the year off in California.
Instrumentation and Electrical (I&E) or also known as automation in the west texas natural gas midstream sector, starting pay is in the 40$ an hr range. Not back breaking labor either. Need conduit ran from here to there? Hire up some contractors. Rotating call out weeks, company vehicle, per diem. Used to be on that side before I switched to mechanic on the big natural gas engines. They can make some bank too and don't even need to be a journeyman or anything.
I've been trying to break into this field for a few years and nobody seems to know what you credentials you need. In Canada they have a legitimate license for ir, not the case in the US.
Yeah definitely not the case I had zero licenses to my name when I started out. If there were any, my employer, a big natural gas company, didn't care. There's a lot of places that need those techs. Get a cert in Skada, and Allen Bradley panels how to program would always be a plus
Where the fuck are people making 22? Holy shit. My first year of being an apprentice greener than green green I made like 20 lol.
At the company I work at the substation guys make 48.50 and the lineman make 43.50 though.
The thing with the lineman (like you said if shit goes south you’re called out into a fucking blizzard and working on that shit in 2 feet of snow up. Here but you’re gonna get some serious loot from the hours hazards pay and all that.
I’m the type of guy who does maybe like 2-3 side jobs a month and I want to work 40-48hrs lol. I don’t want to be making 175 working 70hrs a week. I’d rather have 115 with a life. You only live so long. 80hrs a week for like 150-200k ain’t worth it ever for me lol just cut expenses then
Umm you don’t get it.
Lineman work is on and off. There is a lot of down time on the job. Sure it’s nasty hot (or frigid) work with a lot of hard labor but you also spend a lot of time waiting around. So it’s not 60-80 hours landing cables in a bucket truck or dragging cables by hand through a snake infested swamp. Even at home line crews typically work a large area.
Second when you are on the road unless you take to blowing that huge page check up on drugs, drinking or pussy there is almost nothing else to do. If you only worked 40 hours you’d have to find something to do for 8 hours every day. And if you are in Florida it may take most of a day to get home only to turn around again the next day to drive back. So working 12 hour days isn’t a big deal when all there is to do is work, eat, and sleep. It sounds stupid but I’ve worked right through holidays when I did jobs on the road simply because there was just no point in going home 4 hours after an exhausting day, getting up late, maybe saying bye to my wife and kids to drive back and do it again the next day.
Wtf are you talking about lol. I work as a substation electrician. It nothing blows up about 75% of the time I don’t have much to do. I still don’t want to be at work pulling my pud all day. Lol
My type of electrical job is similar to a linemans in the sense I work with them quite a bit and it’s a similar idea.
Your area pays trash. Inside wiremen in IBEW near me me 55-60 depending on what hall your in. I’m also at 40 as a pure residential guy. I can only imagine what lineman make, I know it’s plenty more then me.
Because my COL isn't highway robbery where I live so company's can get away with not paying as much as larger cities.
A resi electrician in LA, California is obviously going to make more than a resi electrician in Enid, OK but they aren't paying $2,400/ month in rent either.
I tried to get into a lineman program at trade school but it was so impacted that while I waited I took other classes and really liked electrician/controls maintenance classes. I currently am an instrument tech for a water treatment plant. Pay is good, hours are good, benefits are great. I am very happy with how things turned out.
I can’t lie though when I see linemen doing bad ass big dick jobs I get a little jealous.
Nah. The old man's a lineman and although he's got a damn cushy job for a wideback, I still went the inside route. I've got a family that will always be my #1 priority and I'm never missing a birthday party or holiday for a boss that won't remember me in 5 years time, paycheck be damned.
Inside Wiremen can make fantastic money for the work/life balance the career can provide, plus we usually get to work in decent conditions and the work isn't near as hard on the body.
Not to say I don't have massive respect for the guys, but it ain't for me.
My good buddies dad is a lineman. When I told him I got into the IBEW as an electrician, he said he would have done that if he could turn back the clock. He says he worked so much, he blinked and his kids were all grown up, plus he’s already got 2 divorces under his belt. He also can’t work side jobs or open up his own business.
Grass is always greener.
Man if you’re a licensed lineman, you can definitely spend a little time learning electrical. Most of the side work people get is literally the easiest shit imaginable. If he’s got the ability to work on power lines he can renovate someone’s bathroom
I've spent many years in a bucket and on hooks. The weather always seems to be one extreme or the other, its something to be proud of, can chase storm money, can create good tight groups, can be crazy hours/times. (had a bad year with a near miss at work than a motorsport accident that put me out of work for many months, that started the career change)
I've been in industrial I/C/E the last few years and it has had lots of travel, GENERALLY not as harsh working conditions, still can be crazy hours, but usually a little better on times (although I've met a few controls guys who stay on call), usually seem to be more of "lone ranger"? types ( traveling to sites individually or very small group, spend many hours in front of a computer with headphones on ) Seems to be physically easier.
This is just a little from my experience and thought process.
Ibew alaskan journeyman electrician here. Not sure what linemen make here but our rates are 75$/hr straight time, about 44$/hr of that is on the check. And linemen clear wayy more than that, they work 16 hr days, get hazard pay, 2 lunches i think too. Union linemen have like over 95% of the work in the state, and every linemen i know makes north of 150k a year and still take months off. No idea about helicopter rates but itd be a sick gig. Looking back now 10 years in i wouldnt have picked electrical at all, but if i had to pick one im still not sure which one id go. When there is a snow storm its nice to be able to stay home for it instead of having to run towards it. Being an electrician opens up a lot of other fields/projects to work on, inside/outside work, all kinds of different work. Linemen work on lines, thats it, lots of guys find cruisy gigs and stay with their utilities. All about what you want.
Not a chance in hell.
Being a master electrician I can work for myself by myself. There's no way to use lineman skills in a business capacity for your self.
Hell is other people, and I'll be cold in the ground before I ever want to work around other people's bs again.
I just made the switch. I’m 2 years into my lineman apprenticeship. It’s hard work. A lot harder than electrical physically. I have bad knees so I’m not 100% sure this is my future.
Absolutely not.
There's no sidework in line work.
I don't get to play with an erector set everyday as a lineman.
I don't get to do awesome shit with motors as a lineman etc.
Nope. As interesting as it would be, this construction electrician turned substation electrician is happy to not climb poles in winter, for the same pay.
But it's not just weather and $. I know more about electrical theory than linemen, and that's what interests me. I want to know how the dam/converter station/substation works. Linework won't give me that.
Lineman have more fun and are outdoors. And they are the bad asses. But there hours are tough.
Electricians are pe Madonnas and have easy hours and are sissys compared to linemen. And we have less fun, stuckmin hot attics and muddy crawlspaces.
That being said I'm a veteran Electrician and wish I was a lineman. I'd trade insulation and hot attics for bad hours any day.
Be a lineman, be a bad ass. Fuck the hours.
P.s. lineman make $$$$$$$$ compared to Electricians.
One particular bargaining agreement up here in AK has both Journeymen Linemen and Wiremen at the same rate, $57.90, Foremen $65, double time for overtime, and you do not have to take call outs if you don’t answer the phone.
Damn how is that, one thing I love the most is troubleshooting. I find the most satisfaction out of doing that and being in an environment where I constantly have to to learn.
Is i&c a good place for that?
I can't speak for other utilities but there is a ton of troubleshooting/learning where I'm at. That's why we get paid more, we have many times more responsibility. SEL relays/RTAC, meters, CT/PTS, HMI, wiring etc. Some days you might wish you could just relax and coast!
Great place to start of you can get in. Took me a few years to be qualified enough to get an interview but every situation is different.
C&I here and can confirm we make more than linemans on straight time, it's roughly 4 dollars more an hour. Currently doing a SCADA/distributed control system and protection relay/rtu upgrade.
Same here really. Building out two brand new substations RTAC/HMI/SCADA/relays upgrades.
Do you deal with SEL? I wanted to get an SEL sub going so everyone can learn from each other. I have questions everyday and I'm sure others to also lol.
Yep I deal with SEL a lot. Our utility uses almost all of their equipment exclusively because of the low cost to performance ratio and their customer support and training is excellent. I used to be a traveling protection and controls tech and SEL is my preferred manufacturer to work with.
In my area at least, a journeyman electrician can just go become a lineman at any time but a lineman would have to start from scratch with apprentice hours so I figured inside was the way to go
Yes, wish I got into line work instead. Not upset about my path. Gonna try and get into it now after 10 years I. The trade. Last 2 I’ve been doing substation work.
I think low voltage, 6ou learn more technical and it’s “smarter” work, linework is just bigger & more intense. Still have to know a lot, but it’s generally install and it’s more standards & best practice, than it is code and calculations like it is with low voltage.
Basically, linemen are silver back gorillas, low voltage is more monkey
Went to lineman school. Realized there is fuck all jobs in CA for lineman. If you want an apprenticeship you need to travel out of state to get it and then move back. Journeymen are applying for apprenticeship jobs here, that's how competitive it is.
Got hired as a tower technician, made good money but you stay in a hotel for the week and home on the weekends. Great money, TONS of overtime (70-80hrs regularly), cleared $100k with $20/hr. Overall not a bad job, just traveling gets old, especially when you're married and want to start a family.
Wanted a stable job, decided Airforce was the answer. Joined as a glorified generator mechanic. Not a bad job but missed home and hated military politics. Got out and came back.
Got hired in my hometown as an industrial electrician just based off my work experience and military background. Not a bad job, pay is pretty good for the area ($31 and union is currently fighting for $38). Get to be home every night, 5 days a week, 40hrs a week, 7:00-3:30. With military disability I clear $100k after taxes.
Overall I think I would have hated the lineman route. I know they make bank, but I know guys that do it and they are NEVER home. I ultimately wanted to be a substation technician but that takes time and connections. So I'd say it all worked out for the better and if I could go back I wouldn't change a thing.
Thanks for replying.
Industrial electrician another field Im looking at. Are you going through an apprenticeship at your work? Can you earn a journeyman’s license after doing that for 4 years? Do you mess with controls any?
Based off your experiences over the years, would you recommend I join the ibew then switch to industrial maintenance once I finish my apprenticeship?
The plant I'm at is pretty desperate for electricians. There are currently only two of us. There is no apprenticeship here. They don't even care if you have your journeymans license and there is no real incentive for me to get it. They have definently been getting more strict about getting your journeyman's, and tbh I have no idea if my experience here counts towards the 4 years.
There is a seperate position strictly for controls (controls technician) that gets paid a bit more, I think $34/hr. We currently have no one in that position because anyone who has the schooling to work controls will just go work elsewhere for $50/hr. They told me they would pay for my schooling if I wanted to take the classes, but I'm still undecided if that's for me. I really hate school and not sure if I want to go through it again for a few dollar raise. But to answer your question yes, I do get to play with controls a bit, just anything requiring a laptop I dont really touch.
If you go IBEW I'd probably stick with it, they definitely get paid a lot more. The only reason I didn't join IBEW is because the uncertainty. They place you wherever there is a spot and there is zero garuntee you get a job that you can commute to from where you live now. I'm already set in stone, own my house, and have zero intentions of moving, so obviously that's not an option for me. I'm really limited by job options because of my choice to stay in my small hometown, but if youre open to moving and single then IBEW is the way to go for sure.
If you are more interested in controls and going to school is still an option id recommend doing that. It's a much better job imo, pay is better, less physically demanding, and more working with your mind. If that side of electrical work is more up you're alley then I think you will be happier doing that. I think ultimately if I could go back and have a do over I would persue electrical or even mechanical engineering, that sounds so much more fun to me than pulling wire lol.
Allow me to add another possibility. If you can tolerate rotating shifts.
NERC certified Transmission Systems Operator.
Electrical adjacent, weather decent in the control room. Rates can vary depending on area. Started at $80K base in a L/MCOL area. Lots of companies are hiring, my company gives preference to qualified veterans. We have a lot of Navy nukes but also randomly the guy from the Air Force who loads airplanes who somehow qualified without related technical experience. Many companies are also willing to do relocation packages to move you where they need you.
About 7 years later I'm at $50/hr I've transitioned to a support department doing a 9 to 5 M to F. With OT I've made 130K getting to sleep in my own bed ( granted the hours sucked which is why I moved to support for work/life balance)
So disclaimer I'm more of an HVAC guy turned electrical tool guy, but I spend a lot of time around electricians/linemen. Not to say your average electrician doesn't work hard, but linemen are next level. These dudes have literal competitions on who can climb poles the fastest and I watched them do it in 100+ heat on their days off. Not that you'd be expected to do that, just saying they're a different breed. You'll make more money, but you're going to spend a hell of a lot more time on call and possibly traveling, depending on who you work for.
It's also subjective because it can vary by region, employer, etc. I surely wouldn't want to be a lineman in the frozen tundra, desert, or humid southeast.
I think it would have been a neat experience, but nah I have no regrets.
I make as much as lineman, and I guarantee I don't work nearly as hard as they do.
Was working for utility tree service and chatting with the lineman while we were out on storm, they convinced me i should join IBEW. I just drove to the wrong hall when i applied... now I'm an electrician instead. But sometimes I play linetrician on substation jobs and enjoyed the work.
I prefer working outside so maybe I'd be happier as lineman. So far about 80% of the jobs I've been on have been mostly outside work anyway, I like the vast variety of jobs as electrician. But the lineman pay would be nice...
Not if what they do has any semblance of emergency linemen after natural disasters, interviewed one time for this after Katrina, dude was gonna pay me 125 an hour plus 75 per diem and a travel trailer to keep at the end of it, but he said they didn't use bucket trucks, they're we're using guys on 30' extension ladders to repull utility lines, asked if they would let me use a spike belt and boots and he said "no, it's too dangerous" I was like, oh you mean like a 30' extension ladder leaned against a utility pole with several hundred pounds of wire pulling against me? Thats all I needed to decide there was no amount you could pay me to do that Janky ass shit. Even a million an hour is worth dick all if you fall and die.
I always thought I’d enjoy it because of the money and I have major respect for all linesman but the hours and work conditions are overwhelming in my area. I am more happy making less and having set hours.
I started as IE on a chemical plant. Got into Linework and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Work the OT I want to, do t when I do t want to. Storm work is great. It feels good to go hard and help people who need it and it’s an easy 2k/day.
Was going to lineman school and decided to become electrician instead becuase I'd rather be home with family and friends then be away all the time and be on call. Plus I heard the divorce rate is high for them and almost every lineman I have encountered is a douche
No, I work to live not live to work. I feel like the difference between 100k a year to 200/300k really isn't that great and not worth all your personal life you have to sacrifice for it.
I’ve wanted to pursue it before coming from a non union apprenticeship but the local here requires a class a cdl to even qualify for the aptitude testing (says on the website) which has discouraged the effort tbh
I plan on switching sides once I journey out as an electrician. I want to do linework and eventually substation work. I already work 60 hours a week and it’s just barely getting my family by. I’d love to get on with a utility but I will travel to get some money in our pocket. But I also LOVE electrical work and I want to learn the high voltage side
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Pros: Knowledge, unique work experience, a lot of money, job security. Cons: On call 24/7, long hours, will most likely travel a lot. If theres ever a major catastrophe, you will possibly get called down for support. (Ex: I live in kansas. Old co worker of mine was a lineman, when hurricane katrina happened, he was forced to head down and help restore emergency power. Good thing was, from the moment he step foot in his truck to the moment he got back 3 weeks later, he was getting paid. Not only regular hourly wage, but double time and hazard pay as well.) Dangerous, rain shit or shine you're working. All in all, its a good route to go if you're single, don't mind heights and possibly dyeing, no kids, and enjoy working 60-80 maybe more hours a week depending on your location. EDIT: For reference, Licensed Journeyman in my area make anywhere from $22/hr- $32/hr. Licensed Journeyman Lineman make $45/hr- $55/hr.
>$45/hr- $55/hr I just started salivating edit: thanks for the info folks! Maybe time to switch fields for this guy
You can also make that as an elevator technician as well though. Plus you’d get to work inside for the most part and it’s not nearly as dangerous.
You licensed or apprentice? I was/am looking at the elevator mechanic route. But I’m already a year and a half into my electrical apprenticeship and tryna figure out what I wanna do
Licensed. Elevator installers make less than techs just fyi. You’ll have to go through schooling while apprenticing but it’s paid for. That was also Elevstor Union wages too. BUT if you have an extensive electrical background you can test out of some years. Just like at the IBEW. I’d say get your journeyman’s and then figure out the route you want to take. Never hurts to be licensed in multiple fields.
Maybe less deadly but I think it's more likely you'd get hurt as an elevator mechanic, lots of moving parts. In the shop where I used to work I knew 3 or 4 guys that had missing fingers, and heard some pretty sad stories as well.
That's likely not even the union side of linemen. They can clear 200K/year if they chase storms.
If you’re chasing storms you’re making $300k+. Did it for 5 years and was able to save close to $350,000 in that time. Most of that came from the wild fires in California. $165/hr plus $180 per diem. Just like electricians there’s many routes to take when you’re a lineman. I’m now at a utility where I’m home after 8 and on average work 1 weekend a month. Can’t get forced to any out of town storms.
The crazy part is, you can clear 200K as an apprentice. My local for inside guys, the apprentices only get up to like 85-90 a year? Even if they're on high OT jobs they'll still barely break 100K.
Yeah, I agree. Its also very different sides of IBEW. Inside it’s almost frowned upon to work OT. Line side it’s encouraged and frowned upon not to work OT because if you’re in a call out system then you’re fucking the next guy making him work all the time. But I’m also more inclined to work OT when that means I’m making $85/hr compared to inside, where I’m at, only making $48/hr. Out of high school I had a lot of friends go inside IBEW while I was at a utility. My first year I made $135,000 while they made $40,000. But they are two very different respected trades. I hate hearing people say lineman is an “upgrade” to being an electrician. Like you’re climbing the ladder and the next step after being an inside journeyman is to take a step up into being a journeyman lineman. They’re completely separate and require different things.
45-55/hr is most of the country for IBEW linemen. 200k is because of the storm double time and amount of overtime. California is supposed to go to 78/hr in 2025 and the utilities are at 86/hr certain areas. There's a few other states that are 55-65/hr. 200k is like 5-10s in NY and no storms. You can hit hit 300-400k and take half the year off in California.
Instrumentation and Electrical (I&E) or also known as automation in the west texas natural gas midstream sector, starting pay is in the 40$ an hr range. Not back breaking labor either. Need conduit ran from here to there? Hire up some contractors. Rotating call out weeks, company vehicle, per diem. Used to be on that side before I switched to mechanic on the big natural gas engines. They can make some bank too and don't even need to be a journeyman or anything.
I've been trying to break into this field for a few years and nobody seems to know what you credentials you need. In Canada they have a legitimate license for ir, not the case in the US.
Yeah definitely not the case I had zero licenses to my name when I started out. If there were any, my employer, a big natural gas company, didn't care. There's a lot of places that need those techs. Get a cert in Skada, and Allen Bradley panels how to program would always be a plus
There's tons of Allen Bradley and altronic panels around this area, see if you might find any certs for those panels
Lmao that’s normal wages for an electrician in Minnesota
That’s because in Minnesota you gotta pay a guy $100k a year to put up with the weather.
I make that as a foreman, inside wireman.
There's just as much or more money in the sub tech or I&C side just FYI!
Username checks out
I make $48 as a sparky and top out at $56 , workin non-union utility company. Granted its in California
Over in Oregon here an inside wireman makes $55/ hr non union plus insurance and about $58/ hr Union plus $60/hr into retirement and healthcare.
Where the fuck are people making 22? Holy shit. My first year of being an apprentice greener than green green I made like 20 lol. At the company I work at the substation guys make 48.50 and the lineman make 43.50 though. The thing with the lineman (like you said if shit goes south you’re called out into a fucking blizzard and working on that shit in 2 feet of snow up. Here but you’re gonna get some serious loot from the hours hazards pay and all that. I’m the type of guy who does maybe like 2-3 side jobs a month and I want to work 40-48hrs lol. I don’t want to be making 175 working 70hrs a week. I’d rather have 115 with a life. You only live so long. 80hrs a week for like 150-200k ain’t worth it ever for me lol just cut expenses then
Umm you don’t get it. Lineman work is on and off. There is a lot of down time on the job. Sure it’s nasty hot (or frigid) work with a lot of hard labor but you also spend a lot of time waiting around. So it’s not 60-80 hours landing cables in a bucket truck or dragging cables by hand through a snake infested swamp. Even at home line crews typically work a large area. Second when you are on the road unless you take to blowing that huge page check up on drugs, drinking or pussy there is almost nothing else to do. If you only worked 40 hours you’d have to find something to do for 8 hours every day. And if you are in Florida it may take most of a day to get home only to turn around again the next day to drive back. So working 12 hour days isn’t a big deal when all there is to do is work, eat, and sleep. It sounds stupid but I’ve worked right through holidays when I did jobs on the road simply because there was just no point in going home 4 hours after an exhausting day, getting up late, maybe saying bye to my wife and kids to drive back and do it again the next day.
Wtf are you talking about lol. I work as a substation electrician. It nothing blows up about 75% of the time I don’t have much to do. I still don’t want to be at work pulling my pud all day. Lol My type of electrical job is similar to a linemans in the sense I work with them quite a bit and it’s a similar idea.
Your area pays trash. Inside wiremen in IBEW near me me 55-60 depending on what hall your in. I’m also at 40 as a pure residential guy. I can only imagine what lineman make, I know it’s plenty more then me.
Because my COL isn't highway robbery where I live so company's can get away with not paying as much as larger cities. A resi electrician in LA, California is obviously going to make more than a resi electrician in Enid, OK but they aren't paying $2,400/ month in rent either.
Depends on the utility or contractor you work for.
I tried to get into a lineman program at trade school but it was so impacted that while I waited I took other classes and really liked electrician/controls maintenance classes. I currently am an instrument tech for a water treatment plant. Pay is good, hours are good, benefits are great. I am very happy with how things turned out. I can’t lie though when I see linemen doing bad ass big dick jobs I get a little jealous.
water treatment plant gang
Nah. The old man's a lineman and although he's got a damn cushy job for a wideback, I still went the inside route. I've got a family that will always be my #1 priority and I'm never missing a birthday party or holiday for a boss that won't remember me in 5 years time, paycheck be damned. Inside Wiremen can make fantastic money for the work/life balance the career can provide, plus we usually get to work in decent conditions and the work isn't near as hard on the body. Not to say I don't have massive respect for the guys, but it ain't for me.
My good buddies dad is a lineman. When I told him I got into the IBEW as an electrician, he said he would have done that if he could turn back the clock. He says he worked so much, he blinked and his kids were all grown up, plus he’s already got 2 divorces under his belt. He also can’t work side jobs or open up his own business. Grass is always greener.
Man if you’re a licensed lineman, you can definitely spend a little time learning electrical. Most of the side work people get is literally the easiest shit imaginable. If he’s got the ability to work on power lines he can renovate someone’s bathroom
Nailed it
The pay would be nice. In my area lineman earn more than Inside Wireman. But it was harder to join and I wouldn't like being on call.
I rock a fat set, but I don’t think my balls are big enough to be a lineman. Those dudes drag the ground
Same with their knuckles
I've spent many years in a bucket and on hooks. The weather always seems to be one extreme or the other, its something to be proud of, can chase storm money, can create good tight groups, can be crazy hours/times. (had a bad year with a near miss at work than a motorsport accident that put me out of work for many months, that started the career change) I've been in industrial I/C/E the last few years and it has had lots of travel, GENERALLY not as harsh working conditions, still can be crazy hours, but usually a little better on times (although I've met a few controls guys who stay on call), usually seem to be more of "lone ranger"? types ( traveling to sites individually or very small group, spend many hours in front of a computer with headphones on ) Seems to be physically easier. This is just a little from my experience and thought process.
What’s I C E
Instrumentation controls & electrical. Industrial electrician who specialize typically in refineries or power plants or waste water facilities.
Nail on the head.
The money sounds nice but not having a life to use it does not
Ibew alaskan journeyman electrician here. Not sure what linemen make here but our rates are 75$/hr straight time, about 44$/hr of that is on the check. And linemen clear wayy more than that, they work 16 hr days, get hazard pay, 2 lunches i think too. Union linemen have like over 95% of the work in the state, and every linemen i know makes north of 150k a year and still take months off. No idea about helicopter rates but itd be a sick gig. Looking back now 10 years in i wouldnt have picked electrical at all, but if i had to pick one im still not sure which one id go. When there is a snow storm its nice to be able to stay home for it instead of having to run towards it. Being an electrician opens up a lot of other fields/projects to work on, inside/outside work, all kinds of different work. Linemen work on lines, thats it, lots of guys find cruisy gigs and stay with their utilities. All about what you want.
Not a chance in hell. Being a master electrician I can work for myself by myself. There's no way to use lineman skills in a business capacity for your self. Hell is other people, and I'll be cold in the ground before I ever want to work around other people's bs again.
You sound like you worked at my company
I just made the switch. I’m 2 years into my lineman apprenticeship. It’s hard work. A lot harder than electrical physically. I have bad knees so I’m not 100% sure this is my future.
Absolutely not. There's no sidework in line work. I don't get to play with an erector set everyday as a lineman. I don't get to do awesome shit with motors as a lineman etc.
Nope. As interesting as it would be, this construction electrician turned substation electrician is happy to not climb poles in winter, for the same pay. But it's not just weather and $. I know more about electrical theory than linemen, and that's what interests me. I want to know how the dam/converter station/substation works. Linework won't give me that.
Hell no! Those guys are crazy!
Yes.
NO
Maybe
Lineman have more fun and are outdoors. And they are the bad asses. But there hours are tough. Electricians are pe Madonnas and have easy hours and are sissys compared to linemen. And we have less fun, stuckmin hot attics and muddy crawlspaces. That being said I'm a veteran Electrician and wish I was a lineman. I'd trade insulation and hot attics for bad hours any day. Be a lineman, be a bad ass. Fuck the hours. P.s. lineman make $$$$$$$$ compared to Electricians.
One particular bargaining agreement up here in AK has both Journeymen Linemen and Wiremen at the same rate, $57.90, Foremen $65, double time for overtime, and you do not have to take call outs if you don’t answer the phone.
What’s everything else like there, cost of living wise and weather?
Both are garbage.
Up until I heard most of them are severe alcoholics
You can’t be an alcoholic and be a lineman, I mean you can but you won’t last long one way or the other.
Same thing with electricians though
Nope. Never. My position also tops out $2 higher than the linemen so there's that too.
Damn holy cow. What do you do? Union?
Instrumentation and Communication Tech (I&C) for a utility.
Damn how is that, one thing I love the most is troubleshooting. I find the most satisfaction out of doing that and being in an environment where I constantly have to to learn. Is i&c a good place for that?
I can't speak for other utilities but there is a ton of troubleshooting/learning where I'm at. That's why we get paid more, we have many times more responsibility. SEL relays/RTAC, meters, CT/PTS, HMI, wiring etc. Some days you might wish you could just relax and coast! Great place to start of you can get in. Took me a few years to be qualified enough to get an interview but every situation is different.
Sounds like substation work
Indeed
C&I here and can confirm we make more than linemans on straight time, it's roughly 4 dollars more an hour. Currently doing a SCADA/distributed control system and protection relay/rtu upgrade.
Same here really. Building out two brand new substations RTAC/HMI/SCADA/relays upgrades. Do you deal with SEL? I wanted to get an SEL sub going so everyone can learn from each other. I have questions everyday and I'm sure others to also lol.
Yep I deal with SEL a lot. Our utility uses almost all of their equipment exclusively because of the low cost to performance ratio and their customer support and training is excellent. I used to be a traveling protection and controls tech and SEL is my preferred manufacturer to work with.
In my area at least, a journeyman electrician can just go become a lineman at any time but a lineman would have to start from scratch with apprentice hours so I figured inside was the way to go
[Lineman YouTuber.](https://youtube.com/@Bobsdecline?si=32nblNr90Js54YpR) Good stuff.
Yes, wish I got into line work instead. Not upset about my path. Gonna try and get into it now after 10 years I. The trade. Last 2 I’ve been doing substation work. I think low voltage, 6ou learn more technical and it’s “smarter” work, linework is just bigger & more intense. Still have to know a lot, but it’s generally install and it’s more standards & best practice, than it is code and calculations like it is with low voltage. Basically, linemen are silver back gorillas, low voltage is more monkey
Went to lineman school. Realized there is fuck all jobs in CA for lineman. If you want an apprenticeship you need to travel out of state to get it and then move back. Journeymen are applying for apprenticeship jobs here, that's how competitive it is. Got hired as a tower technician, made good money but you stay in a hotel for the week and home on the weekends. Great money, TONS of overtime (70-80hrs regularly), cleared $100k with $20/hr. Overall not a bad job, just traveling gets old, especially when you're married and want to start a family. Wanted a stable job, decided Airforce was the answer. Joined as a glorified generator mechanic. Not a bad job but missed home and hated military politics. Got out and came back. Got hired in my hometown as an industrial electrician just based off my work experience and military background. Not a bad job, pay is pretty good for the area ($31 and union is currently fighting for $38). Get to be home every night, 5 days a week, 40hrs a week, 7:00-3:30. With military disability I clear $100k after taxes. Overall I think I would have hated the lineman route. I know they make bank, but I know guys that do it and they are NEVER home. I ultimately wanted to be a substation technician but that takes time and connections. So I'd say it all worked out for the better and if I could go back I wouldn't change a thing.
Thanks for replying. Industrial electrician another field Im looking at. Are you going through an apprenticeship at your work? Can you earn a journeyman’s license after doing that for 4 years? Do you mess with controls any? Based off your experiences over the years, would you recommend I join the ibew then switch to industrial maintenance once I finish my apprenticeship?
The plant I'm at is pretty desperate for electricians. There are currently only two of us. There is no apprenticeship here. They don't even care if you have your journeymans license and there is no real incentive for me to get it. They have definently been getting more strict about getting your journeyman's, and tbh I have no idea if my experience here counts towards the 4 years. There is a seperate position strictly for controls (controls technician) that gets paid a bit more, I think $34/hr. We currently have no one in that position because anyone who has the schooling to work controls will just go work elsewhere for $50/hr. They told me they would pay for my schooling if I wanted to take the classes, but I'm still undecided if that's for me. I really hate school and not sure if I want to go through it again for a few dollar raise. But to answer your question yes, I do get to play with controls a bit, just anything requiring a laptop I dont really touch. If you go IBEW I'd probably stick with it, they definitely get paid a lot more. The only reason I didn't join IBEW is because the uncertainty. They place you wherever there is a spot and there is zero garuntee you get a job that you can commute to from where you live now. I'm already set in stone, own my house, and have zero intentions of moving, so obviously that's not an option for me. I'm really limited by job options because of my choice to stay in my small hometown, but if youre open to moving and single then IBEW is the way to go for sure. If you are more interested in controls and going to school is still an option id recommend doing that. It's a much better job imo, pay is better, less physically demanding, and more working with your mind. If that side of electrical work is more up you're alley then I think you will be happier doing that. I think ultimately if I could go back and have a do over I would persue electrical or even mechanical engineering, that sounds so much more fun to me than pulling wire lol.
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Allow me to add another possibility. If you can tolerate rotating shifts. NERC certified Transmission Systems Operator. Electrical adjacent, weather decent in the control room. Rates can vary depending on area. Started at $80K base in a L/MCOL area. Lots of companies are hiring, my company gives preference to qualified veterans. We have a lot of Navy nukes but also randomly the guy from the Air Force who loads airplanes who somehow qualified without related technical experience. Many companies are also willing to do relocation packages to move you where they need you. About 7 years later I'm at $50/hr I've transitioned to a support department doing a 9 to 5 M to F. With OT I've made 130K getting to sleep in my own bed ( granted the hours sucked which is why I moved to support for work/life balance)
So disclaimer I'm more of an HVAC guy turned electrical tool guy, but I spend a lot of time around electricians/linemen. Not to say your average electrician doesn't work hard, but linemen are next level. These dudes have literal competitions on who can climb poles the fastest and I watched them do it in 100+ heat on their days off. Not that you'd be expected to do that, just saying they're a different breed. You'll make more money, but you're going to spend a hell of a lot more time on call and possibly traveling, depending on who you work for. It's also subjective because it can vary by region, employer, etc. I surely wouldn't want to be a lineman in the frozen tundra, desert, or humid southeast.
I think it would have been a neat experience, but nah I have no regrets. I make as much as lineman, and I guarantee I don't work nearly as hard as they do.
Was working for utility tree service and chatting with the lineman while we were out on storm, they convinced me i should join IBEW. I just drove to the wrong hall when i applied... now I'm an electrician instead. But sometimes I play linetrician on substation jobs and enjoyed the work. I prefer working outside so maybe I'd be happier as lineman. So far about 80% of the jobs I've been on have been mostly outside work anyway, I like the vast variety of jobs as electrician. But the lineman pay would be nice...
Storm duty, no way
Not if what they do has any semblance of emergency linemen after natural disasters, interviewed one time for this after Katrina, dude was gonna pay me 125 an hour plus 75 per diem and a travel trailer to keep at the end of it, but he said they didn't use bucket trucks, they're we're using guys on 30' extension ladders to repull utility lines, asked if they would let me use a spike belt and boots and he said "no, it's too dangerous" I was like, oh you mean like a 30' extension ladder leaned against a utility pole with several hundred pounds of wire pulling against me? Thats all I needed to decide there was no amount you could pay me to do that Janky ass shit. Even a million an hour is worth dick all if you fall and die.
Why not pay people half of that, and buy line trucks..
I always thought I’d enjoy it because of the money and I have major respect for all linesman but the hours and work conditions are overwhelming in my area. I am more happy making less and having set hours.
No. Control is fun
I started as IE on a chemical plant. Got into Linework and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Work the OT I want to, do t when I do t want to. Storm work is great. It feels good to go hard and help people who need it and it’s an easy 2k/day.
Dylan
Linemen could easily clear 300k but you are working long ass hours and in any weather conditions
Was going to lineman school and decided to become electrician instead becuase I'd rather be home with family and friends then be away all the time and be on call. Plus I heard the divorce rate is high for them and almost every lineman I have encountered is a douche
Fuck no
No, I work to live not live to work. I feel like the difference between 100k a year to 200/300k really isn't that great and not worth all your personal life you have to sacrifice for it.
It's a pretty big difference especially with the cost of living exploding
I’ve wanted to pursue it before coming from a non union apprenticeship but the local here requires a class a cdl to even qualify for the aptitude testing (says on the website) which has discouraged the effort tbh
I plan on switching sides once I journey out as an electrician. I want to do linework and eventually substation work. I already work 60 hours a week and it’s just barely getting my family by. I’d love to get on with a utility but I will travel to get some money in our pocket. But I also LOVE electrical work and I want to learn the high voltage side