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Career Change Finder

Jobs for Former Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Also called: Electrical Power-Line Installers

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers build troubleshooting, operation and control and operations monitoring skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment (75%).

Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers

Skills you enjoy

Pick the skills you want to keep using. The list re-ranks.

Sorted by skill match.

25 careers that use your skills

  1. 1Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment
    75%
    Median pay
    $84,890
    Pay change
    −11%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  2. 2Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
    74%
    Median pay
    $103,020
    Pay change
    +8%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  3. 3Ship Engineers
    72%
    Median pay
    $109,530
    Pay change
    +15%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  4. 4Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
    72%
    Median pay
    $109,910
    Pay change
    +15%
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  5. 5Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
    71%
    Median pay
    $102,040
    Pay change
    Not compared
    Pay for the broader BLS group “Power Plant Operators”
    Extra educationCertificate or associate
  6. 6Roof Bolters, Mining
    70%
    Median pay
    $78,540
    Pay change
    −18%
    Extra educationNone
  7. 7Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation
    70%
    Median pay
    $92,100
    Pay change
    Not compared
    Pay for the broader BLS group “Transportation Inspectors”
    Extra educationNone
  8. 8Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
    68%
    Median pay
    $70,070
    Pay change
    −26%
    Extra educationNone
  9. 9Power Plant Operators
    67%
    Median pay
    $102,040
    Pay change
    +7%
    Extra educationNone
  10. 10Locomotive Engineers
    67%
    Median pay
    $81,410
    Pay change
    −15%
    Extra educationNone

Compared with Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, median $95,320. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.

Your transferable skills

How important each skill is in work as electrical power-line installers and repairers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).

Troubleshooting3.38
Operation and Control3.25
Operations Monitoring3.25
Coordination3.12
Repairing3.12
Quality Control Analysis3.12

Skills to learn

The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.

  • Management of Financial Resources
  • Operations Monitoring
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Operation and Control

Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.

Your top 3 moves, up close

A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.

Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment

75% skill match · $84,890 · −11% pay

First step

  • Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate (48% of workers).
  • Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree — more preparation than your current job.
  • On-the-job training: over 3 months, up to and including 6 months.

Skills to add

Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources · Programming

Is this right for you?

  • Tight deadlines are common
  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Long hours on your feet

Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay

74% skill match · $103,020 · +8% pay

First step

  • Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate (50% of workers).
  • Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree — more preparation than your current job.
  • On-the-job training: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years.

Skills to add

Programming · Equipment Maintenance · Management of Financial Resources

Is this right for you?

  • Mistakes can have serious consequences
  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Exposure to hazardous conditions

Ship Engineers

72% skill match · $109,530 · +15% pay

First step

  • Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (48% of workers).
  • Usually needs vocational training or an associate degree — more preparation than your current job.
  • A professional certification is often expected.
  • On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.

Skills to add

Equipment Maintenance · Operations Monitoring · Repairing

Is this right for you?

  • Mistakes can have serious consequences
  • Work outdoors in all weather
  • Exposure to hazardous conditions

Similar roles in the same field

If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.

Free help near you

Former electrical power-line installers and repairers can get free career counseling, job search help and, if you qualify, help paying for training through American Job Centers, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Find an American Job CenterFind training programs

Links go to CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Questions former electrical power-line installers and repairers ask

What jobs can former electrical power-line installers and repairers do?

The closest matches are Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment (75% skill match, median $84,890), Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay (74% skill match, median $103,020) and Ship Engineers (72% skill match, median $109,530), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.

Which electrical power-line installers and repairer career changes pay more?

Among the 25 matches, 5 pay more than electrical power-line installers and repairers at the median. The biggest increases: Ship Engineers (+15%, $109,530), Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (+15%, $109,910) and Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay (+8%, $103,020).

Do former electrical power-line installers and repairers need another degree?

16 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.

How is the skill match calculated?

We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.

Keep exploring

Sources. Skills, tasks and education: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Data Sources & Licenses