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Fiber optic central office installer vs switch technician

The differences between fiber optic central office installers and switch technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a switch technician has an average salary of $101,377, 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 a switch technician are switches, routine maintenance, and T1.

Fiber optic central office installer vs switch technician overview

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerSwitch Technician
Yearly salary$40,855$101,377
Hourly rate$19.64$48.74
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs48,66346,430
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 38%Associate Degree, 42%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Fiber optic central office installer vs switch technician salary

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

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerSwitch Technician
Average salary$40,855$101,377
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $54,000Between $76,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between fiber optic central office installer and switch technician education

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

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerSwitch Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 38%Associate Degree, 42%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityInter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Fiber optic central office installer vs switch technician demographics

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

Fiber Optic Central Office InstallerSwitch Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 97.6% Female, 2.4%Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
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, 12.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between fiber optic central office installer and switch 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.

Switch technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage LAN as an administrator for NATO HQ network.
  • Assist in managing CDMA network, Voice/EVDO circuit's layouts, CDM circuit inventory and roll over's for cell sites.
  • Configure Veraz switch for TDM and IP services.
  • Coordinate installation, testing, and troubleshooting of transmission facilities (OC48, T3, T1, and DSO).
  • Work with management team to develop a comprehensive and successful IP and TDM base network infrastructure and unify communications plan.
  • Circuit switching (DMS-250 and Alcatel DEX-600E).
  • Show more

Fiber optic central office installer vs switch 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 switch technician skills
  • Switches, 9%
  • Routine Maintenance, 7%
  • T1, 7%
  • RF, 6%
  • Technical Support, 4%
  • Trouble Tickets, 4%

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