Power-Line Installer and Repairer

Career Overview

Electrical power line and cable workers construct, maintain and repair overhead and underground electrical power transmission and distribution systems. Make sure to use the search box to find Nick's video!

Education

Completing a two-year college program in an electronics-related area may make an applicant more valuable. The completion of an on-the-job apprenticeship program may be necessary to be a lineman.

Future Outlook

Employment of electrical power-line installers and repairers is expected to grow, largely due to growing population and expanding cities. With each new housing development or office park, new electric power lines are installed and will require maintenance.

Work Environment

Lineman typically work for power or telecommunication providers. This work may require working in bad weather conditions. In addition, it may be very physically challenging. You may be climbing utility poles to great heights!

Recommended High School Courses

Math
Electronics
Communication
Trade-related courses

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Gross Body Equilibrium - The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Visual Color Discrimination - The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Monitor work areas or procedures to ensure compliance with safety procedures.
Test electrical circuits or components for proper functioning.
Control power supply connections.
Climb equipment or structures to access work areas.
Inspect electrical or electronic systems for defects.
Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites.
Assemble electrical components, subsystems, or systems.
Repair electrical circuits or wiring.
Connect electrical components or equipment.
Dig holes or trenches.
Install insulation in equipment or structures.
Install metering equipment.
Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
Travel to work sites to perform installation, repair or maintenance work.
Solder parts or connections between parts.
Assemble mechanical components or machine parts.
Run wiring to connect equipment.
Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
Confer with coworkers to coordinate work activities.
Align equipment or machinery.
Cut materials according to specifications or needs.
Lay cables to connect equipment.

Schools

Cda Technical Institute

Dakota County Technical C...

Excelsior College

Grantham University

Northwest Iowa Community...

Thomas Edison State Unive...

Algonquin College

Cambrian College

College Of The North A...

Conestoga College- Ing...

Kwantlen Polytechnic U...

New Brunswick Communit...

Northern Alberta Insti...

University Of The Fraz...

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship

Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Curt Pozan Trades Scholar...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:

Low End:

$38,810.00 /yr

Avg/Med:

$72,520.00 /yr

High End:

$103,500.00 /yr

Related Careers

Machinist

Millwright

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.