I wasn't directly involved, as it was another crew performing the same work down the road. I was APE 1, first month on the job. Doing tower work, grunt work, the real reason kids even exist in the trade, all the digging, all the rigging and pulling that nobody else wants to do. Well, crew down the road had a real salty guy, been doing it longer than I been on the shitter. This was right when 100% fall arrest was really gaining traction. He came up the old way, bare knuckles and all balls. Nobody was going to tell him what to do or how to do it. Well, he was skating the lattice that day and fell, and needless to say he died. Big eye-opening kid, this is real. Every day you are learning, and if you aren't learning anymore, you are already dead. This thing will kill you if it you let it. Have the balls, have the attitude, but back it up with work ethic, brains for what's right, and know what is actually safe and what is just bureaucratic oversight disguised as safety.

I have noticed a trend I am sure you all have noticed or witnessed firsthand as well. The progression to management. We all bitch and moan about the management quality pretty much everywhere, but nobody wants to take the leap and be the change they hope to see. What does this mean for us? As a management role leader now, I see it firsthand. When no one with the skills and the experience want to leave the field and be that change, companies continually rely more and more on DEI, putting know-nothings in positions or leadership and decision making. We all know how that ends, and it is becoming more and more common. How do we drive the change to turn this tide and make management more appealing for the field, so we can start progressing? We all love the trade, but this trend is leading to severe consequences and long-term pain for all. Share your thoughts.

First off — thank you. Every single one of you who stepped in here with me just took a leap most people talk about but never make. You showed up. You raised your hand. You said, “Yeah, I’m in. Let’s build something that actually matters.” We're a week into this thing. The First 250 are here; it's been incredible. This place? It’s a work in progress. Still rough around the edges. Still finding its footing. Just like everyone of us did when we first stepped into this trade, but that’s the beauty of it — we’re building it together, in real time, with real conversations and real truth. Several of the modules are filled, and I'm adding more content and programs as we grow. I can't say enough about how grateful I am for all of you. I don’t take it lightly. You could be anywhere else, listening to the same polished corporate noise we’ve all heard for years — but instead, you’re here helping build something raw, honest, and for the boots, not the optics. So settle in. Speak up. Contribute. Call bullshit when you see it. This is your community as much as mine. Welcome to Lineman Bull$hit Skool — where truth lives, we learn from each other, and we rise together. ~Kevin