How To Become A Structured Cabling Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a structured cabling technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Structured cabling technicians install and maintain cables used in communications technologies. They can work with voice cables, fiber optics, or any systems that need to be installed in order to help people communicate with each other. A structured cabling technician may help install new hardware in order to connect more areas to a telecommunications network. They also help maintain old systems and troubleshoot any problems so that people don't experience service outages. Structured cabling technicians need to know how to use basic hand tools. They also need to have a keen eye for safety regulations and have a color vision in order to avoid injury at work.

Some structured cabling technicians have bachelor's degrees, while many others have associate's degrees or professional certificates. However, it's possible to do this job with only a high school diploma.

Structured cabling technicians need some practical experience working as technicians before they can move on to this highly sensitive role. Once they do, they can earn an average salary of $18.60 an hour.

ScoreStructured Cabling TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $37,985

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.63%

Asian 6.28%

Black or African American 11.22%

Hispanic or Latino 18.34%

Unknown 4.76%

White 58.77%

Gender

female 5.59%

male 94.41%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a structured cabling technician

Explore structured cabling technician education requirements

Most common structured cabling technician degrees

Associate

31.3 %

Bachelor's

30.6 %

High School Diploma

22.2 %

Start to develop specific structured cabling technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Structured Cabling	15.16%
Fiber Optic	10.42%
Hand Tools	8.87%
Ladders	8.33%
OSHA	5.63%

Complete relevant structured cabling technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New structured cabling technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a structured cabling technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real structured cabling technician resumes.

Research structured cabling technician duties and responsibilities

Manage MDF for all incoming, outbound circuits, cross connects and patches
Install ladder racks, patch panels, switches, and cable management in communication closets.
Pull cable to IDF, and MDF closets.
Install telecom cables data, voice, and CCTV.

Prepare your structured cabling technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your structured cabling technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a structured cabling technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable structured cabling technician resume templates

Build a professional structured cabling technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your structured cabling technician resume.

Apply for structured cabling technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a structured cabling technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do structured cabling technicians rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Structured cabling technician reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020

Pros

I like it because I enjoy doing it.for the past 21years I was doing cabling .so cabling is my life .I like when I get challenges every now and then it build me give me strength to face life

Cons

I don't like when don't get business I feel down and lazy