About a month ago, I presented a speech to a group of college students about their future employment opportunities after college. I wanted to tell them that today’s electric cooperatives are an exciting, ever-changing, and rewarding industry. Most of the younger generation who grew up in a rural community have probably heard about an electric cooperative from their local cooperative’s communication department or family members. But do they really know what it takes to keep the energy flowing through those lines and the many career opportunities that are part of the team? The future is bright in the electric utility industry. With over 20 years of experience working in the electric cooperative industry, I would like to tell you why you should look at this industry for employment opportunities.
Electric cooperatives power today and tomorrow. Electric cooperatives are non-profit electric utilities owned by their consumer-members.
Each member can influence the direction of their cooperative. As a member, they get to vote for their representative on the board of directors. A member can also vote on the bylaws and changes. Bylaws are the rules the board of directors must follow when exercising oversight for the cooperative. Many of you have probably heard the previous information before.
According to Chris Meyers in Oklahoma Living magazine, “Oklahoma electric cooperatives serve approximately 93% of the land mass in Oklahoma.” Although electric cooperatives have been around since the 1930s, they are on the leading edge of technology.
In Oklahoma alone, electric cooperatives serve over half a million consumer-members and another use 125,000 plus in surrounding states. So why does that matter? Suppose you are a college student or looking for a career change. In that case, you may have looked at working for more common businesses like Google and Microsoft or even larger electric utilities like Duke Energy. Maybe you looked there because you wanted to be on the front lines in technology use and community service. Cooperatives are right there with these larger companies regarding technology and our opportunities. Today’s electric cooperatives have a variety of career fields that make up their team. We have lineworkers, arborists, mechanics, and field technicians if you want an outside job. Are you a social butterfly? Electric cooperatives are very aware of the importance of communication with their members and use a variety of social media to get the message out to their members. There are marketing, communication, member relations and social media coordinator positions that you might be interested in. Are you a tech-savvy person? Electric cooperatives employ computer automation technicians, computer programmers, computer-aided drafting experts, network administrators and data analysts. The students I spoke with were surprised that electric cooperatives had their finger on the pulse of technology. Electric cooperatives use various advanced tools to keep the lights on, and technological advances are getting faster every day. I am excited to see what artificial intelligence (AI) will do for our industry.
So, if you seek employment after high school or college or just a career change, please look at the electric cooperative utility industry. Our industry has been around since the 1930s and is here to stay. We are at the forefront of new emerging technology. We work with electric vehicles, recent advances in energy production, computer automation, programming, and many other forms of technology. Soon, we will be using AI to help improve reliability! Our industry professionals have different education and skill levels.
You can be someone who likes to work outdoors or is an engineer, accountant, social media/communications representative, and many other professions. Visit the Cooperative Career Center at www.electric.coop/our-organization/co-op-careers to explore job opportunities at electric co-ops across the United States. Let’s work together to keep electricity flowing today and in the future.
Brandon Wright
Director of Engineering
