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Electrical technical specialist vs outside plant engineer

The differences between electrical technical specialists and outside plant engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an electrical technical specialist and an outside plant engineer. Additionally, an outside plant engineer has an average salary of $85,603, which is higher than the $83,320 average annual salary of an electrical technical specialist.

The top three skills for an electrical technical specialist include troubleshoot, CAD and HMI. The most important skills for an outside plant engineer are CAD, outside plant, and OSP.

Electrical technical specialist vs outside plant engineer overview

Electrical Technical SpecialistOutside Plant Engineer
Yearly salary$83,320$85,603
Hourly rate$40.06$41.16
Growth rate3%3%
Number of jobs96,84134,742
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

Electrical technical specialist vs outside plant engineer salary

Electrical technical specialists and outside plant engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Electrical Technical SpecialistOutside Plant Engineer
Average salary$83,320$85,603
Salary rangeBetween $62,000 And $111,000Between $62,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between electrical technical specialist and outside plant engineer education

There are a few differences between an electrical technical specialist and an outside plant engineer in terms of educational background:

Electrical Technical SpecialistOutside Plant Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityStanford University

Electrical technical specialist vs outside plant engineer demographics

Here are the differences between electrical technical specialists' and outside plant engineers' demographics:

Electrical Technical SpecialistOutside Plant Engineer
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 91.2% Female, 8.8%Male, 85.5% Female, 14.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between electrical technical specialist and outside plant engineer duties and responsibilities

Electrical technical specialist example responsibilities.

  • Develop LabVIEW code to automate test procedures and to communicate with units for verification of functionality and accuracy.
  • Design PLC and HMI applications for Desulphurization systems with Siemens: S7 PLC, Wincc & WinCC flexible.
  • Program and test Allen-Bradley PLC's and human-machine interface.
  • Insure that all drawings are compatible with HMI and process monitoring equipment and devices and are update with current engineering standards.
  • Develop a system software using LabView to emulate system operation to provide production the capability to build and troubleshoot units.
  • Formulate and assign I/O points on drawings, base on I/O list and customer specifications, prior to programming.
  • Show more

Outside plant engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage many key projects providing DS1, DS3 and SONET facilities for customers.
  • Train new techs on how to pull, repair and manage new and existing copper and fiber cabling systems.
  • Manage and provide training to a multicultural maintenance team using TPM principles and following standards such as AIB and BRC.
  • Determine and upgrade MDF and IDF layout in communications cabinets.
  • Cost estimates, design packages, GIS design, site walks and quality control.
  • Install new copper and fiber optic infrastructure to facilitate network expansion.
  • Show more

Electrical technical specialist vs outside plant engineer skills

Common electrical technical specialist skills
  • Troubleshoot, 22%
  • CAD, 13%
  • HMI, 12%
  • Electrical Systems, 11%
  • PLC, 10%
  • Electrical Components, 8%
Common outside plant engineer skills
  • CAD, 15%
  • Outside Plant, 11%
  • OSP, 10%
  • Fiber Optic, 7%
  • Plant Engineering, 5%
  • GIS, 5%

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