With the first Arctic front forecast for much of the Big Country this weekend, a group of workers will be facing dangerous conditions to keep communities safe and connected.

Most people recognize that police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and Texas Department of Transportation crews will be on duty monitoring road conditions. But when power outages occur, electrical lineworkers often become the unsung heroes.

“We are another form of first responders,” said Garrett Soelz of Brownwood, a first-semester student in Texas State Technical College’s Electrical Lineworker and Management program in Abilene. “It’s a big deal for lineworkers to be out in the field.”

Soelz said a friend who works as an Oncor foreman often shared stories about responding to cold-weather emergencies, which helped influence his decision to pursue the trade.

“I learned that I like helping people, especially in their time of need,” he said.

Jon Graschel, of Abilene, left a career as a high school physics teacher to enroll at TSTC. He agreed that helping others played a major role in his career change.

“I think the adrenaline and the adventure are a big part of why I’m doing this,” he said. “One day, I want to chase storms and feel the sway of the pole with high voltage. The self-gratification of knowing I helped keep the lights on for people is what drives me.”

The two students discovered the Abilene program in different ways. Graschel said he first noticed TSTC’s pole yard while driving by the campus.

“I looked up the program online and watched the videos on the website,” he said. “I knew that’s exactly what I wanted to do.”

Soelz said he learned about the program through a social media post and then researched it further.

“I was looking at different programs, and this one was the perfect fit,” said Soelz, the father of twin boys.

Both students said they expect strong job prospects and competitive wages once they complete the program.

According to onetonline.org, electrical power-line installers and repairers in Texas earn a median annual salary of $77,560 a year. The website projected that there would be a 14% increase in the number of such jobs in the state from 2022 to 2032.

TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion in Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology at its Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall and Waco campuses.

To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.