How To Become A Cable Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cable engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Daniel Armentrout

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a cable engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $41.48 an hour? That's $86,283 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 9,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a cable engineer?

Daniel Armentrout

Clinical Associate Professor/Associate Chair

The excessive number of baby boomer engineers are retiring at high rates and you as a new engineering graduate are desperately needed to make up for their loss in the workforce. You will face challenges in your career we could not anticipate or prepare you for in your education. You will have to adapt and continue to learn new fields of study which did not exist when you graduated. We have given you tools to learn and you will have to use those tools to remain relevant throughout your career. Find your place as an engineer when you can be effective, help humanity, and have fun. Plot a career path where you can utilize your strengths and challenge your mind to do new things. Contribute to making a better world and you will be able to enjoy immense satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.

ScoreCable EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.7

Avg. Salary $86,283

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 14.38%

Black or African American 4.87%

Hispanic or Latino 11.34%

Unknown 4.71%

White 64.52%

Gender

female 9.68%

male 90.32%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cable engineer

Explore cable engineer education requirements

Most common cable engineer degrees

Bachelor's

60.6 %

Associate

18.2 %

High School Diploma

7.6 %

Start to develop specific cable engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Infrastructure	18.20%
Structured Cabling	14.79%
RF	11.80%
CAD	9.76%
Assembly Drawings	6.49%

Complete relevant cable engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cable engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cable engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cable engineer resumes.

Research cable engineer duties and responsibilities

Promote from original position as a staff engineer managing a variety of geotechnical engineering activities to a field engineer inspector position.
Perform telecommunication and networking business evaluations.
Perform telecommunication and networking business evaluations.

Apply for cable engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cable engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams