Like most in the industry, Carlos Cibrian never imagined himself working in broadband. But it was the first job that made the hours feel worth it — for the stability it provided his family, and for the sense of purpose behind the work.
Based in California, Cibrian has worked as an aerial lineman ever since a friend suggested he give it a shot. Now an established foreman, he leads crews maintaining and restoring overhead fiber lines, ensuring technicians are safe and doing quality work. Recently, his work brought him to Miami Dade College in Florida for a hands-on training program where he sat down with Broadband Nation to talk about his experience.
“I was just doing a warehouse job and, you know, I wanted to do something for myself, for my family, wanted to do something more," he told us. “My other jobs I would wake up miserable, you know, not wanting to go. Here, the opportunity of meeting new people, it's something different every day," he said. "I'm in love with this career."
It's not easy work. Some days, his job means fixing outages caused by copper theft in the middle of the night. Other days, it’s responding to natural disasters — like when he deployed to Paradise, California, to help rebuild the network after deadly wildfires.
"To go there and see what what we've seen, you know, it's pretty bad," he explained. "[But] it's something important. It makes me want to go and be part of it. Rebuilding cities that got burned down to the ground, we're over there building everything back up.”
He’s climbed poles in heavy snow and trudged through ash-covered hillsides — but says it’s worth it, especially when families can reconnect, work remotely or get emergency service restored. “[We] bring internet back to people so they can communicate to their families,” he said. “It makes me feel good about myself.”
Listen to his story:
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