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The differences between telecommunications technicians and field technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a telecommunications technician has an average salary of $41,935, which is higher than the $37,520 average annual salary of a field technician.
The top three skills for a telecommunications technician include broadband, customer service and fiber optic cables. The most important skills for a field technician are customer service, ladders, and test equipment.
| Telecommunications Technician | Field Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,935 | $37,520 |
| Hourly rate | $20.16 | $18.04 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 70,494 | 123,149 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
A telecommunications technician is responsible for maintaining the company's telecommunication networks, including communication systems and installation of internet lines and cables. Telecommunications technicians inspect the efficiency of the organization's communication networks, ensuring its optimal performance to support the business' operations. They also upgrade the systems, run diagnostic tests for newly installed cables, and create detailed reports of preventive maintenance processes for reference. A telecommunications technician must have excellent knowledge of the technological industry, including the end-users' and clients' needs to determine the best procedures to maintain the reliability of existing systems.
A field technician is responsible for providing technical and maintenance support for the customers by area visits. Field technicians' duties include diagnosing technical problems, replacing malfunction components, upgrading systems for efficiency, running equipment tests to ensure stability, creating draft reports of performed processes, utilizing vehicles and other tools safely, following client's specifications on operating equipment, and adhering to the safety standards. A field technician must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the technological industry.
Telecommunications technicians and field technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Telecommunications Technician | Field Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,935 | $37,520 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $55,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Nebraska Public Power District | DCP Midstream |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a telecommunications technician and a field technician in terms of educational background:
| Telecommunications Technician | Field Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon | - |
Here are the differences between telecommunications technicians' and field technicians' demographics:
| Telecommunications Technician | Field Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% | Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 1% |