Fear could have kept Sean Mc Keon from joining the U.S. Marine Corps. Instead, it pushed him to enlist and taught him lessons that would later help build his career as a Southern California Edison lineworker.
“I was always worrying, ‘Would I even be able to make it through boot camp? Would I be able to meet that challenge?’” said Mc Keon. “But I’ve realized that fear acts as a motivator for me. It kind of makes me say, ‘Well, let’s see if I can do this.’”
Sean Mc Keon joined the Marine Corps at 19, beginning a journey that would challenge him and shape his professional future.
With a stepfather who had served in the Marine Corps and a grandfather who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, Mc Keon was no stranger to military service. At 19, while working in construction and uncertain about his future, a conversation with a friend returning from duty got Mc Keon to seriously consider joining.
Drawn to the Marine Corps’ demanding reputation, Mc Keon decided to enlist and began testing what he was capable of.
His service took him from boot camp in San Diego to Okinawa, Japan, where he worked with an engineer platoon to maintain generators, air conditioners and heavy equipment.
“Being stationed overseas took me further away from home than I’d ever been before,” he said. “It took some getting used to, but I got to experience a culture that values respect and putting pride into everything they do.”
For Sean Mc Keon, a career at SCE offers another opportunity to serve others and take on meaningful challenges.
As Mc Keon considered life after the Marine Corps, a friend encouraged him to apply to a linework training program at the East Los Angeles Occupational Center.
“I remember I was at a Los Angeles Kings game when I submitted the application from my phone,” he said. “I just hit send and hoped that I'd hear back.”
Eventually, he did. After finishing his service in July 2014, he began school the following month. By 2022, he had joined SCE as a groundman, working his way up the ranks to becoming a journeyman lineman in September last year.
His current role focuses on transmission lines and towers, which carry electricity at higher voltages than the distribution lines on the utility poles people may be more familiar with.
“This job can be pretty physically and mentally demanding,” Mc Keon said. “The work ethic, the long hours, the strength and energy you have to exert, it all ties together.”
Because of his time in the Marine Corps, the tough mentality and skillset weren’t new to Mc Keon. They proved especially important this summer when Mc Keon joined an SCE mutual assistance team that headed to Hawaii to help Hawaiian Electric repair equipment damaged by Hurricane Lala and restore power to tens of thousands of people.
“The Marine Corps established a foundation and working at SCE made me feel double prepared for the mutual assistance assignment and serving communities,” he said. “Both in Hawaii and at home, when you help get the power back on, people are happy. It’s a good feeling.”
For more information on SCE career opportunities, visit edisoncareers.com.
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