WHAT WAS YOUR BACKGROUND BEFORE ATTENDING TRADE SCHOOL?
I was just working at a local restaurant making minimum wage, which is about $12.50 per hour in my hometown. I had some family and friends that went into the lineman industry so I became interested in the trade. They advised me to go to the Lineman Institute of the Northeast since it had more one-on-one time with the trainers and I would receive a more personalized education.
HOW HAS THE LINEMAN INSTITUTE OF NORTHEAST AFFECTED YOUR CAREER PATH?
I was taught and trained to do my job from day one. They made sure that I was on the path that I wanted to be on and allowed me the opportunity to figure out if this was a career I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was fully equipped for the day-to-day tasks that this trade requires of me.
HOW DID MIA SHARE HELP YOU ON YOUR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY?
I heard about Mia Share from one of the administrators when I went in to apply. I had the means to pay out of pocket, but I decided to apply for an ISA so I could pay once I was hired and earning a better income. Once I graduated, I realized due to the nature of the industry and its contractors, it was difficult to provide the necessary documentation for an ISA. But the servicers at Mia Share offered me an alternate program and now I pay my school back through a Payment Plan which is simple and easy.
WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE WORKING IN THE LINEMAN INDUSTRY?
So I’ve been working as an apprentice for about six months now, I’ve been in the field for a little over a year now. I currently work on transmission substations on a power grid, but I’m hoping to become a Journeyman Lineman in the next 5 years. I look forward to running my own crew and continuing to master my trade.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THOSE PURSUING A TRADE SCHOOL EDUCATION?
In my opinion, it was definitely a better decision than going to college for four years. It’s a lot more hands-on learning. It isn’t an environment where you’re looking at a computer and studying books for eight hours a day, you’re working directly on the skills that you will be asked for when you get into the field. If you’re anything like me, you’ll learn much more from those experiences than you ever will from a book.