It was March 2020, and the headlines shouted that all Oregon students in their senior year with passing grades would have their high school education formally ended. Trevor Keady was in his senior year and was ready to start a new journey. At one point he considered a career in law enforcement as well as becoming a lineman. During his senior year, Trevor worked with high school counselor Cathy Libolt to explore career opportunities. School Resource Officer Jake McGarvey also assisted in his career aspirations by arranging for a ride-along so he could see first-hand what a Sutherlin police officer’s workday was like. The thought of working on or with power lines also appealed to him with its fame, fortune, and thrill of heights, though after a bit more research, he determined he did not want to receive 2 a.m. calls for emergency services. He switched career plans to focus on becoming a commercial and industrial electrician. Once he graduated, Trevor applied to Independent Electrical Contractors of Oregon (IEC) for admittance to their apprenticeship program; however, they were not accepting new applicants due to COVID-19. Refusal of admittance did not deter Trevor; he began working at Dutch Bros in Sutherlin and contacted IEC monthly for admittance to their program. His persistence and determination paid off, and in 2021, he had success and began traveling to Salem to take the necessary classes. Trevor continued to work at Dutch Bros. and travel to Salem, working to complete courses that provided hands-on training as well as classroom instruction. He is now in his third year of a four-year program.
Six months ago, he began working for Electrical Professional Services in Roseburg doing commercial and industrial electrical work (part of his required education). The commercial side of the business works mainly with telecommunications, and the industrial side works with mills. The job tasks, as well as the worksite, change frequently. Trevor works with a journeyman and travels to job sites throughout the West Coast. One day, he may work with huge, heavy electrical cables in a mill; the next, he may work with cables filled with thousands of fine fiber connections. When working with telecommunication clients, his workday is a bit different since telecommunication businesses can’t have downtime, which means the work generally begins around 11 p.m. and ends around 3 a.m. (this from the guy who did not want 2 a.m. emergency calls). His typical workday is 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. (a roughly 10-hour workday), but is flexible, and, depending on the job, he may work as many as ten days straight. Trevor has learned several lessons: “Don’t touch the shiny stuff, ask questions, pay attention, be cautious, and try to learn from those around you.” He has worked on a couple of projects that stand out for him, one of which was adding nine new fingers to the Fed-Ex distribution center in Troutdale and another was in Beaverton working on a telecommunications system where the bussing began arcing. People who were not part of the work team had to leave the building, and the work team had to dress in arc flash suits. The suits are flame-resistant and designed to protect the wearer from serious injuries or illnesses resulting from electrical arc flash hazards. Arcing connections are a serious event and could cause an explosion; the cause of the arcing was a bolt that had come loose and was preventing a solid connection. That event was an adrenaline rush and one he won’t soon forget.
Trevor enjoyed attending school in Sutherlin, where he was from kindergarten through graduation, especially the social aspects. While he enjoyed classes, the subject matter was not always his favorite. In middle school, his favorite class was science; in high school, his favorite class to show up for was English, while his favorite subject matter was learning History, but homework was not so much a priority. He also enjoyed the guitar class with Mark Wiley. He credits the staff of the schools and School Resource Officer Jake McGarvey as having a significant impact on his success, and he still stays in touch with many of the staff members and Officer McGarvey.
During high school, Trevor participated in track, competing in the triple jump and running events. He also had an after-school job working at the Shell station.
Trevor was one of the seniors who was able to take and complete the Personal Finance/Economics class in the fall semester and feels this class gave him a sound basis for entering the workforce and being able to handle his finances. He has recently purchased a house and his truck. Like his brother Wyatt , he enjoys tinkering with vehicles during his limited free time, except Trevor “likes to make reliable vehicles unreliable.” Trevor would like Sutherlin students to become more exposed and aware of trade careers because the wages are good, education requirements are flexible, no college education is required, and usually, there is no shortage of work.