Telecommunications Technician

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Work Tasks

• Help with building new phone, satellite, or other long-distance communication networks
• Look for problems in the networks, send out groups of workers to make repairs, or make repairs themselves
• Find the cause of problems or breaks and repair, replace, or add parts
• Let engineers know when a network needs to be made larger
• Work for telephone, satellite, or other long-distance companies, and military and government agencies
• Work with computers and their networks, electrical wiring, satellite antennas, telephones and switchboards, and electronic testing equipment

Salary, Size & Growth

• $54,500 average per year ($26.25 per hour)
• A large occupation (190,100 workers in 2010)
• Expected to not change (0.0% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A high school diploma and courses in electronics repair
• Employers Prefer: A 4-year degree in electronics or computer engineering technology
• Skills/Courses: College courses include electrical, electronics, and computer engineering technology and networking and telecommunications technologies.