Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Job description

Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers install, set-up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers’ property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.

• Demonstrate equipment to customers and explain how it is to be used, and respond to any inquiries or complaints.
• Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.
• Test repaired, newly installed, or updated equipment to ensure that it functions properly and conforms to specifications, using test equipment and observation.
• Climb poles and ladders, use truck-mounted booms, and enter areas such as manholes and cable vaults to install, maintain, or inspect equipment.

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Salary

Telecom Equipment Technicians with little to no experience tend to make between $32440 and $42400 while the more experienced ones can earn over $71780 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Telecommunications Equipment Installer and Repairer is to move to a higher paying state like DC. Right now, the highest paying states for Telecom Equipment Technicians are DC, MA, AK, NH and NY.

However, a higher pay at DC doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at DC might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Telecommunications Equipment Installer and Repairer is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Telecom Equipment Technicians what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by a Post-Secondary Certificate.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Telecommunications Equipment Installer and Repairer.

What is the job like

75% of Telecom Equipment Technicians said they were satisfied with their job and 55% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

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