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Telecom technician vs system technician

The differences between telecom technicians and system technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a telecom technician has an average salary of $54,352, which is higher than the $43,410 average annual salary of a system technician.

The top three skills for a telecom technician include fiber optic cables, voip and switches. The most important skills for a system technician are customer service, hand tools, and preventative maintenance.

Telecom technician vs system technician overview

Telecom TechnicianSystem Technician
Yearly salary$54,352$43,410
Hourly rate$26.13$20.87
Growth rate8%5%
Number of jobs111,865137,121
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 40%Associate Degree, 40%
Average age4543
Years of experience-2

What does a telecom technician do?

A telecom technician is responsible for overseeing and maintaining telecommunication systems. They are usually in charge of planning and conceptualizing systems, performing installations and adjustments, troubleshooting problems, and conducting repairs. Through extensive research and analysis, they also develop and implement test structures that ensure the safety and efficiency of systems, create strategies to optimize workflow, and implement solutions against areas needing improvement. Moreover, aside from providing technical support, a telecom technician may also establish guidelines and recommend technical practices.

What does a system technician do?

A system technician is an individual responsible for supporting users with issues related to the computer system. System technicians conduct appropriate diagnostics on computer issues and must be able to explain technical issues to clients or team members. They should carry out tests on the system so that they can generate error reports to identify and fix any computer system problems. System technicians also can write and maintain computer programs and work with computers and electronics, including circuit boards, computer hardware and software, and computer processors.

Telecom technician vs system technician salary

Telecom technicians and system technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Telecom TechnicianSystem Technician
Average salary$54,352$43,410
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $89,000Between $27,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Bristol-Myers Squibb
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between telecom technician and system technician education

There are a few differences between a telecom technician and a system technician in terms of educational background:

Telecom TechnicianSystem Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 40%Associate Degree, 40%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeInter American University of Puerto Rico BayamonStanford University

Telecom technician vs system technician demographics

Here are the differences between telecom technicians' and system technicians' demographics:

Telecom TechnicianSystem Technician
Average age4543
Gender ratioMale, 92.0% Female, 8.0%Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage6%9%

Differences between telecom technician and system technician duties and responsibilities

Telecom technician example 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.
  • Create new, augmenting, or deleting trunks in the Nortel DMS switch.
  • Install and repair coax cable, CatV, and fiber optic and copper lines.
  • Show more

System technician example responsibilities.

  • Install and manage approve software distributions using Microsoft SCCM.
  • Manage, support and maintain modern EMC SAN storage platform.
  • Manage 185 virtualize desktops running in a cluster VMware ESX environment.
  • Provide on-site construction support and lead system testing, debugging, and startup.
  • Develop and implement a weekly schedule on SQL databases to automate the execution of maintenance plans.
  • Plan and lead training programs on new software development essential to the movement to a paperless travel department for DoD.
  • Show more

Telecom technician vs system technician skills

Common telecom technician skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 7%
  • VoIP, 7%
  • Switches, 6%
  • IP, 6%
  • Ladders, 5%
  • Technical Support, 5%
Common system technician skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 6%
  • Technical Support, 5%
  • Control Systems, 4%
  • Security Systems, 4%

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