How to Get a High Income Job With No Degree as an Electrical Lineman

Is it possible to have a high paying job with no degree? Absolutely. In this interview, we look at one job in the trades specifically: being an electrical lineman.

Elias is a lineman for a town in my area and chose to pursue this career because 1) he wasn’t interested in going to college, 2) he wanted to work outside, 3) he knew that electrical lineman was a high income position.

While he was in high school, Elias attended a career center where he learned all things electrical and climbing. From it, he learned how much he loved the field of power and keeping the electricity running to people’s homes.

Elias got hired on at the city where he is currently working having no associate or bachelor’s degrees. He gets on the job training that will take him to the “Journeyman” status as a lineman.

Starting out, he said that pay is about $20 per hour, but after the 4 year apprenticeship, a journeyman’s salary will grow to $40-$50 per hour. With a normal number of hours, that is $82k – $104k per year! And as a lineman, there are countless overtime opportunities as electricity needs to be restored year round due to weather.

Becoming a lineman requires no student loans! Elias said that any training or education that is required is normally paid for by the employer. And most of the learning comes from paid on-the-job training.

Trades are an incredible way to enter the workforce. It means you can make money while gaining experience and doesn’t require the taking out of thousands of dollars of student loans.

Trades cover a multitude of careers: linemen, welders, electricians, plumbers, masons, HVAC technicians etc. If you are a high schooler looking for an incredible way to jumpstart your career, check out a career center or a trade school. It will put you leaps and bounds ahead of your friends who are graduating with $30k – $100k in student loan debt!

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