Much like military service, tower climbing is a job that tests you everyday. Attention to detail and strict focus can mean the difference between life and death. But often times, it is hard to find competent, reliable people to do the job.
Military veterans are some of the bravest and most battle-tested people on the planet. Unfortunately, many returning veterans find it hard to find a job that satisfies them after the rigors of service.
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Some tower companies are starting to see the similarities between these two dangerous professions, and have created programs to help military veterans find jobs as tower climbers after their service is over.
In this edition of “Gigs,” Mike Winkle, a Navy veteran turned tower safety instructor, tells us about a program that gave him a stable career while also providing him with the action he was looking for after his military service.
Winkle says, the program, created by Bluestream Professional Services, was just what he was looking for after he was injured forced to retire from the Navy.
“I wanted to work, I wanted to feel challenged and that is a lot of the military people,” Winkle says. “The first time I went up, I went up to 250 feet. It scared me a little, in a good way. Once I broke the tree line, I realized I could do this.”
It gave him an opportunity to move up from a green hand, the lowest rank in the tower climbing industry, to running his own safety school at Bluestream.
Winkle says it is the perfect job for a military-minded person because it is run like a military academy. It test students limits while also growing their technical skills.
Students get all the skills and certifications they need including microwave training, basic tower builds and change outs and weatherproofing, as well as a rigorous safety program so that when they are done with the five week program, they are ready to go to work right away.
In the end, Winkle says, it is all about giving back to those who gave so much to us.
“It give us a chance to give back to those who have been overseas and paid their dues,” he says, “now we want to do something for them.”
Bluestream is currently looking for sponsorships so they can offer the training to veterans free of charge. It currently costs the students around $6,000 for all the training and certifications.
Listen here to hear Chuck West, Director of Talent Acquisitons and Military Operations with Bluestream, explain who and what they are looking for in a sponsor.
For more on Bluestream’s military initiative and tower academy, go to Bluestreampro.com.
To find out what it takes to be a tower climber, check out “Gigs: the life of a tower climber.”
For humorous and harrowing stories about life on the tower, check out “Tower Stories.”
For job postings, go to TelecomCareers.net.