(MARSHALL, Texas) – Unsure of his path after high school, Jesse Staples served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years.
“When I got out of the Marine Corps, I actually had a couple of buddies in Chicago that went through a lineman program, and they were telling me about how much they loved it,” the Henderson native said. “I looked at it, and I found that I lived 45 minutes from what’s considered the best lineman school in the country.”
Staples enrolled in Texas State Technical College’s Electrical Lineworker and Management program. He admitted that climbing the poles was scary at first, but once he got the hang of it, he grew to enjoy the work.
“Physically, I feel like it has been a bit easier for me just because of the Marine Corps with all of the running, hiking and movement all the time,” Staples said.
Staples said one of his favorite things about the program is the sense of accomplishment he feels when he completes a task.
“It’s really nice to know that I’m going to be able to graduate from college. It’s a big sense of accomplishment,” he said.
Staples expects to earn his certificate of completion from TSTC in December. He described the Electrical Lineworker and Management program as a brotherhood similar to his time in the Marine Corps.
“You get really tight going through this stuff together,” he said. “I think TSTC is really good at bringing people together and keeping people together. I would recommend TSTC to anybody, honestly.”
According to onetonline.org, electrical power-line installers and repairers earn a median salary of $77,560 in Texas, with annual job openings projected to increase 14% 2022 and 2032.
In addition to Marshall, Electrical Lineworker and Management is available at TSTC’s Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen and Waco campuses. The program offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion.
Registration for the spring semester is underway. For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.