The Standard The Standard That Doesn't Care Who You Are: Nyeannie's Lineman School JourneyThat Doesn't Care Who You Are: My Lineman School Journey

Nyeannie Reeves came to line school straight out of the Army Reserves, with zero climbing experience and a fear of falling he didn't know he had until he was about six feet off the ground. Four months later he's running pole top rescue against a four-minute clock.Near the end of the conversation he shares something almost nobody in his class knows, and why he thinks it might matter to somebody who's still deciding whether a trade is for them.WHAT WE GET INTOThe nursing plan that turned into an Army cargo specialist job, which turned into a phlebotomy program, which somehow turned into climbing poles in the U.P.Why the alley arm is the thing that scares almost everybody, told by somebody who watched the first few guys do it and decided there was no wayThe fall on the center pole that fixed his fear instead of confirming itWhat it's like being the guy asking the eighteen-year-olds for help with the mathNyeannie is a trans man, and he wanted to talk about it for one specific reason: the stigma that blue collar work isn't a place for people who are different kept him nervous going in, and he doesn't think it should keep anybody outThe advice he'd give somebody looking at this trade, including the part most recruiters skip ABOUT NYEANNIEBorn in Clare, Michigan and living in Farwell. He did a semester at Northern Michigan University, enlisted in the Army Reserves, and spent about three years as a cargo specialist running forklifts, container handlers, and ship cranes, plus enough truck driving that his unit called them "motels."He worked as a phlebotomist for a while, decided a hospital wasn't where he wanted to spend his days, and started looking at trades with his grandmother, a college professor who told him to look up line work. He's finishing the Electrical Line Technician program and heading toward an apprenticeship.🔗 LINKSListen wherever your get your podcasts: https://built-in-the-midwest.captivate.fm/listenMidwest Truck Driving School: midwesttruckdrivingschool.com North Country Heavy Equipment & Electrical Line School: https://ncheschool.com/Submit your Questions: https://webforms.pipedrive.com/f/6WfGT9X1zlYC6WvssJqfWxOOkvVa1AjzqgnAIIHOq70WWiNo5czEWXpBMqxVTW7UST 💬 CONNECT Email: marketing@midwesttruckdrivingschool.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDLMidwest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwesttruckdrivingschool/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@midwesttruckdrivingskool