Highlands College students overcome fear of heights to earn pre-apprentice line certificate

When Misty Gittleson, of Dillon, Montana, and Kaila Roberson, of Tennessee, began the Pre-Apprentice Line Program at Highlands College this fall, they both had the same major fear to overcome.

“I have been afraid of heights my whole life,” Roberson said, adding that she went skydiving last year to help her overcome the fear.

“I’m also terrified of heights, so the first week of class was very tough,” Gittleson said. “That was the hardest part for me. It’s more enjoyable after you start to trust your equipment.”

Line workers are responsible for placing, maintaining and repairing power utility lines. The line program at Highlands College requires students to move heavy equipment, perched high above the ground on power poles 30 to 60 feet in height, in all sorts of weather.

To get confident in the air, students climb to the top and throw each other weighted balls to learn to trust their equipment, to keep them in place, and take their hands off the pole.

Gittleson and Roberson feel more confident after weeks of practice.

“I still struggle to this day, but it’s just part of the program,” Roberson said. “You have to do it. I also didn’t know how to drive a stick shift, and I learned to do that, too.”

Students earn their commercial driver’s license (CDL) as part of the program. They also learn how to calculate vector equations necessary to calculate voltage and rigging loads.

“It’s physically demanding, but the math part is also hard,” Roberson said. “For anyone who wants to do this, be prepared that for the next four months you need to be solely focused on the program.”

As young women in a male-dominated field, Roberson and Gittleson said there are additional challenges.

“You’ve got to be tough,” Roberson said. “These guys are going to joke with you.”

Gittleson approached being in the minority from a place of confidence and assertiveness.

“If you need help, you just have to tell them to come help,” Gittleson said.

Roberson recommends making friends.

“You’ll never make it unless you get to be friends with the guys,” Roberson said.

Gittleson said she enjoys the light-heartedness of her classmates.

“With the guys, the jokes and humor are great,” she said.

Gittleson has been dreaming of becoming a line worker since her sophomore year of high school, when her father, an oilfield worker, mentioned that it was a good career with steady work.

Roberson said her interest in being a line worker sparked when she took an automotive class with someone who mentioned that they wanted to pursue the career. Her aunt, a former employee of power provider Southern California Edison, recommended the Highlands College program.

"My friends and my family got me through this program, but mostly my mom,” Roberson said. “She's my support system."

All their hard work will pay off on graduation day, Saturday, December 14, 2024, when they walk across the stage at the Montana Tech HPER. The Line Rodeo, which allows students to demonstrate their learned skills, will take place on Friday, December 13 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm in the pole yard at Highlands College.

For now, both women are planning on applying to utility companies in pursuit of an apprenticeship.

Line workers are in high demand in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry will experience 8% growth from 2023-2033, which is faster growth than average for career fields in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes median pay for line workers in 2023 was $85,420 per year.

To learn more about Montana Tech’s Pre-Apprentice Line Program, click here.