High voltage worker stories: Shayla Gaffney 

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4th step union lineman apprentice 

Location: Upstate New York
years in the trade: 3 years in trade. 1 year in telecom, 2 in power 

shaygaff
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Having a positive mindset and perspective will truly make or break you in this trade.
 it’s everything.

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Stories in the trade

This series hands the mic to the folks who keep the lights on—how they got in, what they’ve seen, and where the trade’s headed

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How did you first hear about the trade and how did you get into your first role?

I first heard about my trade from friends who had gone to line school and started working for our local utility. I reached a point in my life where I knew I wanted a new career, and since I’d always been interested in the trade, I decided to go for it. I attended NALTC in McEwen, Tennessee, in the fall of 2022. After graduating, I started working in the telecom industry as a Lineman Apprentice, running fiber, until I got the call that I’d been placed in a union boot camp in the fall of 2023. 
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Helping restore power after people experience tragedy is an incredible feeling. hearing people outside their homes cheering just minutes after the lights come back on — that makes it all worth it

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What’s your proudest moment on the job so far?

 I would have to say my proudest moment can’t be narrowed down to just one. Going on storm and helping restore power to people after they’ve experienced tragedy is an incredible feeling. Being able to give them a little bit of normalcy back.. and then hearing people outside their homes cheering and thanking us just minutes after we get the lights back on. That makes it all worth it.

What’s the hardest part (physical/mental) of the job and how do you handle it?

Although this job is extremely physically demanding, I’d have to say the mental aspect is definitely the hardest part. When you first start out, you feel lost every day and don’t always know what’s going on. You meet a lot of different personalities — some people who don’t care if you succeed and others who might make you feel like you won’t. It can be really mentally draining. I’ve personally struggled with that side of it, but something that helps me a lot is going to the gym every day. It keeps me grounded and helps me clear my head. Having a positive mindset and perspective will truly make or break you in this trade — it’s everything. 
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Although this job is extremely physically demanding, I’d have to say the mental aspect is definitely the hardest part

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What’s the most high-pressure or intense situation you’ve had to handle?

 I would say the most high-pressure situation I’ve had so far was when I was a new third step on storm. My working foreman had me throw in two doors that he’d given me, but I could tell right away something didn’t look right — the tops had a lot of threads showing, and it looked like they weren’t screwed down all the way. 

 

I tried tightening them, but they wouldn’t go any further, so I assumed they were fine. When I went to hang the doors and throw them in, they wouldn’t go in and arcs started coming out as they dropped. My foreman was yelling that I wasn’t throwing them in hard enough, but I knew something was wrong. 

 

Even though he didn’t believe me, I trusted my gut, took the doors back down, and switched the caps. Once I did that, they screwed on all the way and I was able to throw the doors in with no problem. Looking back, I wish I had trusted my instincts sooner, but I’m glad I figured it out before it turned into something worse. 
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 i have just  over a year left in my apprenticeship, and I’m not completely sure what the future holds yet. 

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What’s your career path look like (past, present, and future plans)?

I have just over a year left in my apprenticeship, and I’m not completely sure what the future holds yet. What I do know is that I plan to stay on the contracting side of line work, and eventually I’d like to work closer to home doing distribution work. 

we’re opening the floor to the folks who do the work

⚡ Features of real workers in the trade 
⚡ Craft features 

⚡ Tips for the trade

Just real experiences, real lessons learned, and real advice from people who do this work every day.

We want to hear from you

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We're High Voltage Industries

High Voltage Industries started because the most dangerous and essential work in America is also the most invisible. You put your lives on the line every single day and people don't even know what you do. 

 

We're here to share your stories and honor the sacrifices you make so people can flip a switch every day. And we make gear for those who literally risk their lives to keep the world running.

This is your story

Working in conditions others won't face, taking risks others can’t even imagine, solving problems others can't understand, carrying responsibility others can't handle. The grid doesn't maintain itself.

 

We're telling that story.