Megan Yeager was exhausted from managing multiple restaurant locations when she saw that Southside Virginia Community College offered a lineworker trainee program. As someone who loves a rush of adrenaline, she was intrigued by the idea of working outdoors and scaling tall power poles. Today, she works at Dominion Energy as an electric network lineworker based in Richmond, Va.

Not all lineworkers work from bucket trucks – some are working underground in manholes and vaults. There are three main ways to distribute electric power: overhead, underground, and network. “Overhead is what you can see on poles in your residential neighborhoods. There’s a difference between network and underground, even though they're both underground cables, network specifically services your urban areas,” said Yeager.

“My favorite part is knowing that we provide a service to all our customers, a service we appreciate and need to power our lives every day,” said Yeager. “As a customer, I know that sometimes we don't realize how much we appreciate electricity until the lights go out. I really enjoy knowing that the work I do every day is keeping the lights on for everybody,” she added.

As a single parent and mother of a teenager daughter, Yeager is passionate about setting an example for young women everywhere. “Don't close yourself off to a box because of job stereotypes. Roles are not gender specific; they are for everybody,” said Yeager.

“Being the only female in network, it doesn't feel any different than being a female in construction or anywhere else. Everybody looks out for each other and that's what really makes the difference in enjoying your job – knowing that you're going to be safe.”