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The differences between communications technician leads and tower technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a communications technician lead has an average salary of $113,656, which is higher than the $37,471 average annual salary of a tower technician.
The top three skills for a communications technician lead include troubleshoot, hand tools and communications plan. The most important skills for a tower technician are OSHA, CPR, and RF.
| Communications Technician Lead | Tower Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $113,656 | $37,471 |
| Hourly rate | $54.64 | $18.01 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 111,154 | 92,566 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
The job of a communications technician lead is to install, maintain, and service various telephone equipment. Communications technician leads install both data and voice communication circuits and limited video transmission aspects. These leads utilize specialized telecommunication tools and hand tools during equipment installation. They collaborate with a certain team to troubleshoot issues associated with cables and communications. The professionals need to acquire extensive knowledge in the use of technical publications, schematics, diagrams, and troubleshooting.
A tower technician is responsible for maintaining the performance stability of line towers to provide the best network services for the customers. Tower technicians are often out in the field to conduct repairs and installations for the customers, inspecting the area's condition, and reporting structural inconsistencies and defects. They should have excellent mechanical and electrical knowledge to resolve issues immediately and create resolution manuals to prevent reoccurrence and ensure the safeness and security of line towers.
Communications technician leads and tower technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Technician Lead | Tower Technician | |
| Average salary | $113,656 | $37,471 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $165,000 | Between $29,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | SPX |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a communications technician lead and a tower technician in terms of educational background:
| Communications Technician Lead | Tower Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | High School Diploma, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | New York University |
Here are the differences between communications technician leads' and tower technicians' demographics:
| Communications Technician Lead | Tower Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 96.9% Female, 3.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |