John Joblon trusted his passion for linework at Southern California Edison would take him far. He just never imagined it would take him full circle.

Midway into his SCE career, Joblon found himself back in his New York hometown, restoring power to his childhood home after Hurricane Sandy left millions without power in 2012. As a foreman at the time, he was leading one of a dozen SCE crews that answered the East Coast’s call for mutual assistance to repair storm damage.

“I still just can’t believe that it happened. I mean, what are the odds?” said Joblon, now a troubleman approaching 36 years with SCE. “Getting power back on for all the people in those storm-ravaged communities, including my own folks — it’s a defining moment of my career.”

For Joblon, those opportunities to help people when they need it most are what have kept him in linework for nearly four decades. But those moments don’t only come after major storms. He finds them in the day to day — from responding to downed wires and damaged power poles to restoring outages affecting one home or thousands of customers.

“As a troubleman, I’m usually one of the first faces customers see after their power goes out or if they report an electrical hazard,” Joblon said. “I get there to troubleshoot the problem. If I can’t fix it on the spot, I do as much as I can with temporary repair, prep the area and pass along the information to a line crew that’ll come to finish the job safely.”

On a typical shift in SCE’s Fullerton district, Joblon moves from call to call: checking why a customer’s power went out, responding after contractors strike underground power lines or tracking down the source of a streetlight outage.

“Electricity is not a luxury anymore, it’s a necessity,” he said. “We depend on it for almost everything. So, it’s really rewarding to keep the lights on, make people more comfortable and provide them that relief.”

Although Joblon often works alone as a troubleman, he still holds a strong bond with other lineworkers and shared pride in the trade — a feeling that has become even more meaningful as he approaches retirement.

“The closer I get to retirement, the more urgency I have to get a couple more guys trained,” he said.

With a grandchild on the way, Joblon is preparing to step back — but not before passing on what he has learned. This month, he’ll teach apprentices at SCE’s training center in Chino how to safely work on energized lines using insulated tools called hot sticks.

“Someday I’ll no longer be on the property,” he said. “But I know there are still guys out there who learned from me who can do this work correctly and safely. I’ve got to make sure somebody can keep my lights on once I’m home.”

To learn more about careers at SCE, visit sce.com/careers.