When I was little there were always standout career choices. Astronaut, pilot, doctor, fireman, soldier, engineer, and so on. But as I get older and closer to the point in my life where it is time to choose a career I have veered more off the beaten path. When first starting my career search I knew I wanted to go into something in the trades. College is not for me I don’t want to be stuck in school for four more years spending tons of money on a degree that doesn’t mean anything to me and will most likely land me a boring office job. That is why I scheduled a meeting with my neighbor to talk about the trades. As we talked we discussed a lot of different jobs, “Plumber, Steam Fitter, Welder, Carpenter… Electrician.” Hold it, I’ve taken some classes in school that involve wiring and understanding electrical work. I enjoy that type of work. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the thought of putting outlets in my whole life. So we talked about other possibilities involving electrical work. Lineman. That was it constantly climbing high structures, installing huge infrastructure, operating heavy machinery, and still staying in the electrical field. That is what I want to do. My childhood home has a high wire in the side yard I can’t believe I’ve never thought of it. We immediately start researching schooling and job opportunities and find that a school out in Green Bay has a high acceptance rate into WE energy. “Perfect I’ve figured this whole thing out” at least so I think. There will always be different thoughts in my head about different career paths. The artistic side of me wants to go into graphic design, the science part of me wants to go into mechanical engineering, and the realistic side of me wants to become a lineman. I don’t believe in a perfect job. I think work is called work for a reason and there is no way around it. However this does not mean I don’t think I will love my job and be excited to go to work everyday. Watching training videos, seeing people climb and work out of helicopters on tall structures reminds me of things I’ve only seen in movies. Working with their hands on real things they can touch and feel. Riding in carts suspended by wires one hundred feet in the air. Helping people after a storm has taken power and being able to fix it. Being a lineman is a combination of all those standout career choices. Pilots and astronauts high in the air, doctors, firemen and soldiers, dedicating their lives to help others, and engineers creating a solution to a problem. I will be able to experience all these things to some extent as a lineman. There are many pieces of advice that I have been carrying with me but one that sticks out the most is “Oppurtunity hides where you least expect it.” And for me that opportunity was right across the street from me.