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The differences between cable technicians and fiber optic technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cable technician has an average salary of $47,289, which is higher than the $40,661 average annual salary of a fiber optic technician.
The top three skills for a cable technician include broadband, customer service and ladders. The most important skills for a fiber optic technician are fiber optic cables, ladders, and power meters.
| Cable Technician | Fiber Optic Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $47,289 | $40,661 |
| Hourly rate | $22.74 | $19.55 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 120,249 | 103,364 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A cable technician is responsible for managing cable systems, installing cable equipment, upgrading network systems, and troubleshooting cable issues. Cable technicians' duties include replacing defective cabling, running diagnostic tests on newly-installed cable systems, inspecting cable towers and ground cables, providing cable instructions to the customer, responding to customer's cable inquiries and requests, and ensuring the safety of cable structures. A cable technician must have a strong understanding of electrical systems and cable technology, following the established procedures and environmental policies.
A fiber optic technician is someone who works with the optical cables and fibers used in communications data transmission. Fiber optic technicians fuse fibers together, install fiber cables, and splice fibers in buildings and beneath the ground. They take responsibility for fiber optic network installation and maintenance in schools, homes, businesses, and any other organizations. They identify the solutions to issues or problems to prevent fiber optic systems from their optimal performance.
Cable technicians and fiber optic technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cable Technician | Fiber Optic Technician | |
| Average salary | $47,289 | $40,661 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $64,000 | Between $31,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jackson, NJ | - |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | - |
| Best paying company | Baker Hughes | - |
| Best paying industry | Media | - |
There are a few differences between a cable technician and a fiber optic technician in terms of educational background:
| Cable Technician | Fiber Optic Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 39% | Associate Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | New York University | - |
Here are the differences between cable technicians' and fiber optic technicians' demographics:
| Cable Technician | Fiber Optic Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 3.3% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 4% |