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Field installer vs central office technician

The differences between field installers and central office technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a field installer has an average salary of $41,668, which is higher than the $39,043 average annual salary of a central office technician.

The top three skills for a field installer include customer satisfaction, windows and ladders. The most important skills for a central office technician are fiber optic cables, switches, and T1.

Field installer vs central office technician overview

Field InstallerCentral Office Technician
Yearly salary$41,668$39,043
Hourly rate$20.03$18.77
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs73,31179,138
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 33%Associate Degree, 41%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Field installer vs central office technician salary

Field installers and central office technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Field InstallerCentral Office Technician
Average salary$41,668$39,043
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $48,000Between $24,000 And $63,000
Highest paying CityAlbany, NY-
Highest paying stateAlaska-
Best paying companyCrown Equipment-
Best paying industryRetail-

Differences between field installer and central office technician education

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

Field InstallerCentral Office Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 33%Associate Degree, 41%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Field installer vs central office technician demographics

Here are the differences between field installers' and central office technicians' demographics:

Field InstallerCentral Office Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 95.1% Female, 4.9%Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 7.3% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between field installer and central office technician duties and responsibilities

Field installer example responsibilities.

  • Retrofit security wiring in residential and commercial settings.
  • General construction including electrical repairs and installation, plumbing repair and installation, drywall and basic carpentry.
  • Install expansion and control valves, using acetylene torches and wrenches.

Central office technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage assigned Ericsson AXE patch upgrades and retrofits for all AXE sites.
  • Assist in managing CDMA network, Voice/EVDO circuit's layouts, CDM circuit inventory and roll over's for cell sites.
  • Install all Nortel DMS series equipment.
  • Operate power-meters, spectrum analyzers, oscilloscopes, and various RF test equipment.
  • Install and troubleshoot telecommunications circuits and devices including legacy, asynchronous, SONET, and Ethernet equipment.
  • Associate duties include running cable, lacing, stitching, wire wrapping, mounting bays, etc.
  • Show more

Field installer vs central office technician skills

Common field installer skills
  • Customer Satisfaction, 22%
  • Windows, 16%
  • Ladders, 8%
  • HVAC, 7%
  • PC, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 5%
Common central office technician skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 8%
  • Switches, 7%
  • T1, 5%
  • Provisioning, 5%
  • DS3, 4%
  • IP, 4%

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