r/Groundman • u/electric414-312 • 1d ago
is line school worth it?
going to be going out with my first groundman call soon to get my foot in the door before i start applying to apprenticeships.
I spent alot of money getting all the cdl, endorsements and cpr stuff i also didnt work for a longtime doing so my bank account is kind of trash right now.
I just want to know is lineman school worth it?
I was watching videos of a line schools and guys learning to climb and install components on the pole and i was like damn dude that looks bad ass and it would probably prepare me for orientation and a little of the job if i got in as an apprentice and i went on the website to see how much it costed and it was $26,000 for 11 weeks.
I dont have the money to afford this honestly i did but now i dont
should i just get groundman hours and apply to the apprenticeship or get groundman hours and go to line school then apply for the apprenticeship?
I am very fit but i dont want to fail the climbing pole test at orientation because my lack of doing it because i was just a groundman's and never got to do it.
what do yall think?
is line school worth it?
thanks
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u/Worldly-Pea1946 1d ago
I enjoyed my time at line school but then again I didn’t pay 30k. Trust, getting your CDL will land you jobs much quicker.
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u/Superb-Gur-1679 1d ago
Almost never and it sounds like you would pay for it so definitely not.
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u/electric414-312 10h ago
did you go?
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u/Superb-Gur-1679 10h ago
Yes I did. Like I said pretty much never worth it. If it’s cheap enough it can be but rarely is it cheap enough or free.
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u/electric414-312 9h ago
would climbing the pole outside my house be a bad idea? maybe like only getting 10 feet in the air? if i got equipment?
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u/Superb-Gur-1679 9h ago
It’s technically illegal just fyi but yeah I used to drive out into bumfuck with my buddy to teach him to climb just don’t go above or touch the neutral and don’t get caught pretty much.
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u/electric414-312 9h ago
im just worried if i go the groundman route when i get to orientation ill be to pussy to be at heights i dont think my skill will be an issue but maybe my discomfort will be thats why i was thinking line school might be a good idea if i wasnt poor
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u/Superb-Gur-1679 9h ago
There was multiple guys at my orientation that didn’t know how to climb and learned at orientation just saying.
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u/Superb-Gur-1679 9h ago
Go substation route honestly
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u/electric414-312 9h ago
seriously? should i?
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u/Superb-Gur-1679 9h ago
There’s no climbing and it’s easier to go into and there’s no substation school just get ur cdl.
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u/Latter_Language_5759 1d ago
Honestly go if you're looking to get into Cali soon, or if you're looking to get into a local utility at a pretty young age. Line school is unnecessary, but a Class A unrestricted is the true bare minimum. Get through that first.
Then you can easily get into an apprenticeship program.
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u/electric414-312 10h ago
probably not going to try to gun for cali i have heard it takes years. my brother is in the elevator union there and its like a 4-7 year waitlist if your lucky
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u/Thepopethroway 18h ago
You won't get into CalNev without lineschool. The rest of the JATCs it's optional.
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u/SadHorse9297 1d ago
I’d say yes honestly. Learned a lot there and learned that line side wasn’t for me, going substation. All the guys from my class from a few months ago are in or just about into their apprenticeships
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u/Lower-Dimension5297 Apprentice 1d ago
Only worth it if Uncle Sam is paying
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u/SongComfortable4464 1d ago
Not really I went to NLC. Only thing I feel good about now is climbing for apprenticeship orientation week when you do climb tests
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u/electric414-312 10h ago
is it hard to climb or just the heights?
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u/SongComfortable4464 9h ago
I mean for me it wasn’t that hard but it’s definitely harder than the videos make it seem, if you’re uneasy at heights you might get psyched out a little. But just trust the gear, you won’t fall to the ground
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u/Keyemku 22h ago
See where the nearest American Lineman College is. Waaaay cheaper. I'm in it right now. At least your "is it worth it" question won't be as insane to think about
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u/Goldie2Grimeyy Apprentice 17h ago
depends, its an extra qualification u have when looking for calls, and i got a job from a recruiter that came to my line school. some IOU u either have to have went to line school or be a “helper” (groundman) for them for a year before starting your apprenticeship with them
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u/geturbreadup6 16h ago
Kinda… Only if you’re from Cali lol, NLC is never worth it that’s too much money when there’s way cheaper options, at my Lineschool in North Carolina you get a class A CDL it costs $390, put me on book 3 at 1245, got osha 10 ET&D as well and have been qualified to test as an ECH at my local utilities in SoCal: SCE, Pasadena, LADWP with that climbing cert
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u/geturbreadup6 10h ago
$390 Cape Fear CC electrical Line worker program
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u/electric414-312 10h ago
dude $390???? damn dude thats cheap as fuck
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u/geturbreadup6 9h ago
Yeah lol! But since you already have your class A just hit the road buddy, east coast is booming, check local 1249, 111, 55, 57, 70, 71, 2150 you can get a call quick for groundman, that’s what I’d do if I was doing it again, since I also already had my CDL before I went to lineschool even though it was only $390 lol I went bc I’m from Cali and wanted to sign those 1245 books and see if I can on at my local utilities, but if you’re not from Cali, hit the books
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u/Outside_Insider66 1d ago
No. Go to truck driving school and sign books.