NC education officials tell students: Consider Duke Energy instead of Duke University

Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson and Peter Hans, president of the North Carolina Community College System, have declared February Career Pathways Month to students more aware of high-demand trade jobs, such as electrical linemen.

Utilities predict that they will need to fill 800 linemen positions every year for the next five years to meet expected demand.

"That actually affects our whole economy," Johnson said. "If we can't fix power lines or spread them more quickly, that slows down economic growth."

Duke Energy and other utilities have partnered with the community college system to offer a 10-week linemen training program.

"As we have folks in the lineman trade who are starting to retire, we need to fill those gaps with new talent coming in," Duke spokeswoman Grace Rountree said.

Drew Caison made it all the way to college before realizing it wasn't the path for him. That's when he decided to follow his father's footsteps as a Duke lineman.

"It was actually a huge relief knowing that I had a career that I could build a family upon and a future," Caison said.

School officials say choosing a path other than university can pay off financially as well.

According to the Department of Public Instruction, the average salary for a lineman with a high school diploma is $58,000, $54,000 for an Army medic and nearly $70,000 for a web developer with a two-year degree. By comparison, a registered nurse with a four-year degree earns about $61,000 a year.

"You work hard and the hard work will pay off. You can make six figures in no time," Caison said.