6:30 AM: Time to load up in the truck and pick up the rest of the crew. Don’t be late. You will be left behind. You are a little nervous, but your crew has put you at ease and let you know they are there to help you.
7:30 AM: Everybody is in the truck, it’s time to roll. The days on the road are great for getting to know everyone on the crew. Everyone is relaxed, content, excited, and ready to bust out the ropes and start hauling.
9:00 AM: You are on location and staring up at the tower. Let a veteran or Crew Lead start the climb. You are the rookie, and everyone wants to be certain you will be safe. You may be in charge of hauling the load rope up the 250 ft. tower and rigging the anchors up top. The gear is still a little new to you, but your training instills to trust your equipment, and more importantly, in yourself. Your forearms rise to the challenge, but in the end you can start the feel the burn from the exertion less than half-way up. Finally, you get to the top of the tower, and look around at the wonderful scenery surrounding the cell site. It is then that it finally hits you. You have the greatest job in the world with the most spectacular views. For the next 8 hours you are up and down the tower hauling gear or helping with the install of the new antenna.
5:00 PM: You have finally put your first day behind you. As you pile back into the truck with everyone on your crew, you talk about all you've learned and accomplished on your first day. Your Crew Lead and Top Hand commend you on your hard work, and instruct you on what you did right and what you need to work on. You are a little sore, but the feeling of satisfaction having successfully completed all your work makes the sore muscles well worth it. This is it. With your first day in the books you can now say you are a Cell Tower Technician.
Welcome to the team!