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Tower hand vs switch technician

The differences between tower hands and switch technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a switch technician has an average salary of $101,377, which is higher than the $38,967 average annual salary of a tower hand.

The top three skills for a tower hand include CPR, RF and OSHA. The most important skills for a switch technician are switches, routine maintenance, and T1.

Tower hand vs switch technician overview

Tower HandSwitch Technician
Yearly salary$38,967$101,377
Hourly rate$18.73$48.74
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs7,55046,430
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 54%Associate Degree, 42%
Average age4545
Years of experience--

Tower hand vs switch technician salary

Tower hands and switch technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Tower HandSwitch Technician
Average salary$38,967$101,377
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $59,000Between $76,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between tower hand and switch technician education

There are a few differences between a tower hand and a switch technician in terms of educational background:

Tower HandSwitch Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 54%Associate Degree, 42%
Most common majorBusinessElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNew York UniversityInter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon

Tower hand vs switch technician demographics

Here are the differences between tower hands' and switch technicians' demographics:

Tower HandSwitch Technician
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 96.1% Female, 3.9%Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.3% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between tower hand and switch technician duties and responsibilities

Tower hand example responsibilities.

  • Do grounding, terminations, fastening, proper bolting, support of leads, and cad welding.
  • Utilize Anritsu site master in conducting tests on sites while accomplishing tasks including lighting upgrades and troubleshooting of light systems
  • Operate all equipment and hand tools according to OSHA safety rules.
  • Complete installation of UMTS and GSM antenna's, lines, connectors, TMA's, jumpers and support hardware.
  • Assist sweep and PIM testing.
  • Perform Anritsu testing and fiber tests on hybrids.
  • Show more

Switch technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage LAN as an administrator for NATO HQ network.
  • Assist in managing CDMA network, Voice/EVDO circuit's layouts, CDM circuit inventory and roll over's for cell sites.
  • Configure Veraz switch for TDM and IP services.
  • Coordinate installation, testing, and troubleshooting of transmission facilities (OC48, T3, T1, and DSO).
  • Work with management team to develop a comprehensive and successful IP and TDM base network infrastructure and unify communications plan.
  • Circuit switching (DMS-250 and Alcatel DEX-600E).
  • Show more

Tower hand vs switch technician skills

Common tower hand skills
  • CPR, 16%
  • RF, 14%
  • OSHA, 14%
  • Demolition, 13%
  • Hand Tools, 11%
  • Transmission Lines, 7%
Common switch technician skills
  • Switches, 9%
  • Routine Maintenance, 7%
  • T1, 7%
  • RF, 6%
  • Technical Support, 4%
  • Trouble Tickets, 4%

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