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Tower climber vs central office technician

The differences between tower climbers and central office technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a tower climber has an average salary of $41,248, which is higher than the $39,043 average annual salary of a central office technician.

The top three skills for a tower climber include CPR, RF and OSHA. The most important skills for a central office technician are fiber optic cables, switches, and T1.

Tower climber vs central office technician overview

Tower ClimberCentral Office Technician
Yearly salary$41,248$39,043
Hourly rate$19.83$18.77
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs18,16579,138
Job satisfaction3-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 49%Associate Degree, 41%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Tower climber vs central office technician salary

Tower climbers and central office technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Tower ClimberCentral Office Technician
Average salary$41,248$39,043
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $59,000Between $24,000 And $63,000
Highest paying CitySacramento, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyGeneral Dynamics Mission Systems-
Best paying industryTelecommunication-

Differences between tower climber and central office technician education

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

Tower ClimberCentral Office Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 49%Associate Degree, 41%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Tower climber vs central office technician demographics

Here are the differences between tower climbers' and central office technicians' demographics:

Tower ClimberCentral Office Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 95.7% Female, 4.3%Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.6% White, 57.7% 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 tower climber and central office technician duties and responsibilities

Tower climber example responsibilities.

  • Utilize Anritsu site master in conducting tests on sites while accomplishing tasks including lighting upgrades and troubleshooting of light systems
  • Provide multiple PIM and sweep testing troubleshooting and also change transmission lines, antennas and weatherproofing.
  • Lead a crew that build RF broadcast tower's around the state.
  • Certify climber cpr and rescuer of cell towers.
  • Climb towers to install many different RF components.
  • Perform sweep tests and PIM tests on antennas.
  • Show more

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

Tower climber vs central office technician skills

Common tower climber skills
  • CPR, 31%
  • RF, 29%
  • OSHA, 27%
  • Broadband, 8%
  • Safety Equipment, 1%
  • Communication Towers, 1%
Common central office technician skills
  • Fiber Optic Cables, 8%
  • Switches, 7%
  • T1, 5%
  • Provisioning, 5%
  • DS3, 4%
  • IP, 4%

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