Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. May erect poles and light or heavy duty transmission towers.

• Adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas.
• Test conductors, according to electrical diagrams and specifications, to identify corresponding conductors and to prevent incorrect connections.
• Open switches or attach grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or to facilitate repairs.
• Climb poles or use truck-mounted buckets to access equipment.

Salary

Electrical Power-Line Technicians with little to no experience tend to make between $38200 and $52340 while the more experienced ones can earn over $87990 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as an Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer is to move to a higher paying state like OR. Right now, the highest paying states for Electrical Power-Line Technicians are OR, CA, ND, MA and AK.

However, a higher pay at OR doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at OR might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as an Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Electrical Power-Line Technicians what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Post-Secondary Certificate followed by a High School Diploma.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being an Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer.

What is the job like

65% of Electrical Power-Line Technicians said they were satisfied with their job and 69% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Explore other careers