Power Line Technician

A Power Line Technician installs, builds, and maintains power lines, whether they’re overhead or under the ground. Power lines are used to carry electricity from a generator to the homes and businesses that need it. As a Power Line Technician, you can find yourself working in all sorts of environments, from big cities to small towns to the middle of nowhere. Wherever there’s a power line, there’s a Power Line Technician to replace broken parts and keep it in good working condition.

The one constant in this job is that no matter where you work, you can plan on spending most of your time outdoors and up high. Power lines and towers are usually around 40 feet high, so if you don’t like heights, look elsewhere for a career. Being outdoors might sound nice until you realize that this means you’re outside in all types of weather. And unfortunately, power lines and towers tend to conk out and require emergency work after a big snow or major storm.

So what do you do when you’re called out to fix a power line? You might install wiring, replace transmitters, or connect conductors. You visually inspect the line to figure out what the problem might be, and then after you make some adjustments, you use electrical equipment to test the line. You also install switches and transmitters, and, in general, make sure the electricity grid is working smoothly.