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Fiber optic central office installer vs outside plant technician

The differences between fiber optic central office installers and outside plant technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an outside plant technician has an average salary of $42,451, which is higher than the $40,855 average annual salary of a fiber optic central office installer.

The top three skills for a fiber optic central office installer include fiber optic cables, test equipment and install fiber. The most important skills for an outside plant technician are ladders, outside plant, and CDL.

Fiber optic central office installer vs outside plant technician overview

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerOutside Plant Technician
Yearly salary$40,855$42,451
Hourly rate$19.64$20.41
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs48,66367,234
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 38%Associate Degree, 38%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Fiber optic central office installer vs outside plant technician salary

Fiber optic central office installers and outside plant technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerOutside Plant Technician
Average salary$40,855$42,451
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $54,000Between $29,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between fiber optic central office installer and outside plant technician education

There are a few differences between a fiber optic central office installer and an outside plant technician in terms of educational background:

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerOutside Plant Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 38%Associate Degree, 38%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityStanford University

Fiber optic central office installer vs outside plant technician demographics

Here are the differences between fiber optic central office installers' and outside plant technicians' demographics:

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerOutside Plant Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 97.6% Female, 2.4%Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 14.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between fiber optic central office installer and outside plant technician duties and responsibilities

Fiber optic central office installer example responsibilities.

  • Wire and test RJ45, both in UTP and STP as well as CAT5/5E and CAT6.
  • Help linemen with the installation of underground and ariel fiber optics.
  • Repair and install business and residential FiOS digital telephone, broadband internet, and high-definition television service.
  • Configure Cat6 cabling/wall jack terminations, testing voice/data line activity to confirm connections.

Outside plant technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and administer documentation of OSP fiber optic plant in support of customer projects, network planning, and municipality requirements.
  • Move and/or lift items such as ladders, tools, air tanks, cable reels, and test equipment
  • Install residential and business telephone lines, including premise CAT5 wiring and jack work.
  • Perform construction work such as digging holes, installing inner duct in various types of conduit systems and open excavations.
  • Organize projects that include open excavations, placing cables, air pipes and inner duct in various types of conduit systems.
  • Install and repair T1 and T3 systems.
  • Show more

Fiber optic central office installer vs outside plant technician skills

Common fiber optic central office installer skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 35%
  • Test Equipment, 29%
  • Install Fiber, 10%
  • Cable Lines, 10%
  • CAT5, 9%
  • Patch Panels, 7%
Common outside plant technician skills
  • Ladders, 10%
  • Outside Plant, 10%
  • CDL, 8%
  • Test Equipment, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • OSHA, 5%

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