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

What is a telecom technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Where would we be without telecommunications networks? These vital networks include telephones, Internet, cable, and some office equipment. Telecommunications technicians provide a critical service by making sure that these networks are operating properly. They are also responsible for planning and installing networks and troubleshooting any problems that may occur.

These technicians usually belong to an IT team and report to a manager. If you choose to pursue a career as a telecommunications technician, some of the tasks you will perform are installing and maintaining circuits and equipment, upgrading systems and components, verifying service by testing circuits and equipment, troubleshooting and repairing outages, testing network backup procedures, and updating documentation. You will also need to have a solid understanding of electronics and stay up-to-date on the latest technologies and practices.

To qualify for this position, you will need a certificate from a technical school or an Associate's degree in electronics repair or computer science.

ScoreTelecom TechnicianUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $54,352

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.63%

Asian 6.28%

Black or African American 12.55%

Hispanic or Latino 18.38%

Unknown 4.76%

White 57.40%

Gender

female 8.03%

male 91.97%

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 telecom technician

Explore telecom technician education requirements

Most common telecom technician degrees

Associate

40.4 %

Bachelor's

30.9 %

High School Diploma

12.3 %

Start to develop specific telecom technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Fiber Optic Cables	7.04%
VoIP	6.94%
Switches	6.35%
IP	5.82%
Ladders	5.19%

Complete relevant telecom technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New telecom 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 telecom technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real telecom technician resumes.

Research telecom technician duties and responsibilities

Manage and report on SLA's and work with vendors for any corrections or necessary actions.
Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
Pull CAT5e, CAT6, coax cable, install patch panels and connect network devices including routers and switches.
Work with passive equipment such as: RF cable, connectors, twist pair cable, CAT5 and CAT6.

Prepare your telecom technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your telecom 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 telecom 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 telecom technician resume templates

Build a professional telecom 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 telecom technician resume.

Apply for telecom technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a telecom 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 telecom technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Telecom technician reviews

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

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019