From the Classroom to the Power Lines

Phillip Garcia was working as an apprentice electrician in southern New Mexico when he first encountered lineworkers in the field.

“I was interested in the work I saw them doing—climbing poles and whatnot—but also the camaraderie between the group,” Phillip says. “So, I started asking around to see what I would need to do to get into that trade.”

His first step was to earn his Class A Commercial Driver’s License, but without direct linework experience, he struggled to find a job.

“I decided it was time to go to trade school and discovered the Electic Lineworker Pre-Apprentice program through CNM Ingenuity,” he says. “Because I already had my CDL, the program was only 11 weeks. I was ready to get to work as soon as possible, so I signed up.”

Phillip qualified for tuition assistance, which he says was instrumental to his success. During training, his CNM advisor also arranged visits from industry professionals to speak with the class.

“A guy from PNM came to talk to us, and I was really interested in what he had to say,” Phillip says. “After his talk, we ran into each other in the parking lot, and started talking about opportunities in the field.”

The man mentioned his brother might have work available in Oklahoma. They exchanged contact information and went on their way.

“On graduation day, around 8 a.m., I got a call. It was the brother in Oklahoma, who said he had a job for me and asked if I was interested,” Phillip says. “I asked when he needed me to start, and he said, ‘yesterday.’”

Overjoyed, Phillip immediately called his parents, who were on their way from Capitan, New Mexico, to Rio Rancho for the ceremony. He was ready to skip graduation, pack up, and head straight to Oklahoma.

“My parents slowed my roll a bit, encouraged me to follow through with the ceremony, and then we could talk about Oklahoma,” he says. “I walked, which I’m so glad I did, because I earned that celebration.”

After the ceremony, Phillip, his parents, and his sister returned to his hotel, packed up his belongings, loaded them into his beat-up 2010 Chevy Silverado and he headed east.

Leaving home hasn’t been without its challenges. Phillip admits he didn’t realize how much he would miss his family until he was eight and a half hours away. But the work itself has been everything he hoped for.

“Every day is different,” he says. “I’ve never wanted a job that had me doing the same thing day after day, and this is the complete opposite. I get to learn something new every day and seeing the effort from those 11 weeks at CNM pay off—it’s been incredible.”

Looking ahead, Phillip has his sights set on becoming a general foreman or supervisor. But more than anything, he hopes he continues to do work that encourages him to learn something new and continuously find ways to improve.