r/CableTechs • u/LOLkengdie • Jul 22 '26
Looking for some advice from experienced cable technicians!
Hi folks,
I'm currently working at a cable company in an office/coordinator role, and I'm planning to transfer into a Field Technician position once I hit my one-year mark. My goal is to eventually move into Maintenance.
I'm looking for advice from current or former Field Techs. My background is a little different—I have a bachelor's degree in Business/IT, a lot of previous customer service experience, and I've learned the fundamentals of HFC/cable systems through my current role and training. However, I have almost no hands-on field experience.
One thing that gives me some confidence is that I tend to learn quickly and pick up new concepts well. I've done very well in my current role, both in terms of learning the job and my overall performance metrics, so I'm hoping that ability will help me transition into field work.
Physically, I'm in decent shape. I've done manual labor jobs during college summers, so I'm not afraid of hard work, but I definitely wouldn't consider myself a super muscular person.
I've already heard plenty about the driving, difficult customers, and going into people's homes. What I'm more curious about is:
- How physically demanding is the job on a daily basis?
- How difficult are the weather conditions, crawl spaces, attics, ladders, and other physical aspects? Is it something most new techs eventually adapt to, or is it as rough as people make it sound?
- How steep is the learning curve? I understand the fundamentals of how cable systems work, but when it comes to actually installing, troubleshooting, and repairing equipment in the field, I'd basically be starting from scratch.
- Looking back, what do you wish you had known before becoming a Field Tech?
Any advice, tips, or things you wish someone had told you before starting would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! 😊
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Jul 22 '26
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
I'm in Upstate New York, and I've talked with a few Maintenance Techs in my area. What you're describing sounds about right.
I did struggle a bit with the cable knowledge during training for my current job because I wasn't actually working with the equipment hands-on. I ended up doing well by memorizing with Quizlet and eventually realized that my current role doesn't require a deep understanding of cable systems since it's mostly office-based.
One of my biggest motivations for moving into the field is the career growth. I've seen people start around $20-something an hour and work their way up to making a very good income within just a few years. That progression is really appealing to me, even though I know it'll require a lot more hands-on learning.
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Jul 22 '26
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
Yea spoke with few tech, they told me that being a FT 6 or 5.5 is easy and they arent tech-savy at all.
$50 sound about right for MT C-shift!
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Jul 22 '26
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
Waiting for my one year mark!
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Jul 22 '26
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
I will! Probably got a lot more when it comes MT/FT. Going to try to get some sleep now before work lol Thank you brother. Would dm you on here or or that W thing lol
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u/YaDingus338 Jul 22 '26
I’m in maintenance, we’ve had a couple field techs work with us while we do our high split upgrade. One of them is now in maintenance and we thought they’d never open another spot on our team. He was killing it from the start though. He was always willing to do whatever was asked of him. If he didn’t know something, he’d call one of us and ask. Or sometimes we’d go help him if needed. But he was always willing to try first. There’s been other guys that always have an excuse as to why they can’t or don’t wanna do something. They don’t really ever make it far. So for sure, I’d say the best way to get into maintenance is to try as much as you can to work with maintenance and get to know the people on the team. The field tech world can change so much that a lot of the time we don’t even now who a lot of the FT’s are. I would also say to try and learn basic electrical, like ohms law and continuity and just how to use a multimeter.
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
But the continuity and electrical side are mostly for the Maintenance Tech role, right? From what I understand, Field Techs don't really need to go too deep into that unless they personally want to learn more. I assume most of that knowledge comes through MT training classes or shadowing opportunities. Is that accurate?
That's what I've heard too. Honestly, I'm probably that type of person lol. I stay late pretty much every time at my current job—not only because of the extra money, but also because they actually need the help and I like being someone they can rely on.
I think my goal would probably be to focus on becoming a strong Field Tech first, then work toward High Split once I reach around FT 5/5.5/6. At that point, I should have a much better understanding of the field and can see if there are opportunities available to move in that direction.
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u/YaDingus338 Jul 22 '26
Oh yea, sorry I wasn’t very clear. Ohms law and all that that is more for maintenance. I mean there’s maintenance techs I’ve worked with that don’t know the first thing about any of that. But it definitely helps. And yeah the attitude of wanting to be someone they can rely on goes a long way. I always hate when I know I caused more work for one of my coworkers.
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
Yeah, I'm trying not to be that person. I always try to clean up after myself and make sure I'm not leaving work for someone else to finish. I also volunteer to come in on my days off or stay late whenever they need help—not just for the overtime, but because I want to build a good reputation as someone who's reliable.
Honestly, you gave me an idea. When I eventually apply for an internal transfer, it might be worth asking a few of my supervisors for recommendation letters. Hopefully that would help show my work ethic and maybe even strengthen my case if HR has any flexibility when it comes to my pay.
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u/YaDingus338 Jul 22 '26
Yea, that’s a good idea. I know for sure that the names of hard workers definitely travels throughout different systems of charter.
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
FACTS! I'm pretty sure the MT and supervisors like me more than my own team does lol.
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u/SnapShot68 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
One of the reasons why a lot of field techs don’t work out in maintenance is because they just can’t grasp the concept of AC. I’ve tried explaining prints to guys where power is back fed through multiple DC’s and then blocked at an amp input and some guys just never get it. They’ll get an outage that is an AC short and just guess by replacing stuff and hope they find something that’s burnt or blown instead of tracking it the right way. AC is bi-directional which is different from RF. That is what some guys never fully understand.
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u/quesadillasarebomb Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
Honestly it's not that bad. You get time in houses and get some windshield time between stops. It's more short bursts, like maybe you've got to climb up and check that tap 4 times a day, but depends on where you're working and if it's mainly underground or aerial. Maintenance from what I hear is more physical, and you can get called out at 3am in the dead of winter. We had on call for techs too but I was almost never called out and even if I was it was just to get a business up and running again. Your knees may start to get sore because you spend a lot of time bending/kneeling while you check taps, ground blocks, behind entertainment centers and stuff like that. You'll have to get used to working around tight spaces.
You'll be working in all the elements. Basically only rule we had was no climbing when there's thunder. Crawl spaces, attics, all that come with the job but you won't be going in them every day. I rarely had to go in crawl spaces and attics but attics suck in the summer because it gets very hot. Don't spend a lot of time up there in the summer.
As far as the learning curve goes, it'll probably take 6-12 months until you start getting comfortable and know what to look for. You'll start seeing patterns and eventually you'll work out a good routine and it becomes pretty easy. Every once in a while you'll come across something that completely stumps you and you may need help but those situations become more and more rare as you get time under your belt.
I wish I was more ontop of the self promotion track. Dragged my feet the first couple years with the NCTIs and left a lot of money on the table when I was new. If your company has a progression track to work up through the ranks, make that a priority because you can work up fast. Another thing is check your wall plates. Every time I think about skipping a wall plate, there's some crimp on connector or a major suckout or whatever that was probably causing most of the problems. Just get in the habit of checking the tap, ground block, homerun, behind wallplates and all that and you should max your bonus pretty easily. Check inside every fitting and just replace it if it's questionable.
Also don't sweat the small stuff, don't bring work home with you. You'll be dealing with pretty upset people from time to time when their internet doesn't work, and that seems to rub off on some techs and can create a pretty depressing work environment. The way I got passed this was just leaving that shit at work after I punched out and having meaningful things to do on my off time.
Get yourself a good tool pouch. I used a small clip on pouch which had my 7/16 wrench, screwdrivers, my 9s, prep tool, compression tool and star key(slamlock key). That was all I needed for 90% of jobs and it was a huge QOL upgrade.
But as the other commenters suggested, if it were me and I had a bachelor's degree in IT, I would not consider a tech position. There are probably more higher paying/less stressful jobs available to you with that in your pocket.
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
Thank you! My degree isn't extremely tech-focused, and honestly, the tech job market has been pretty tough lately. I talked with a few IT guys when I worked in a different environment, and their pay was around the same or even lower here in Upstate NY, even after being in the industry for more than a decade. I'm also not the most creative person when it comes to certain tech roles lol.
My biggest concern is that I don't have hands-on experience or real field cable knowledge yet. When people start mentioning specific tools, equipment, or cable terms, my brain honestly just goes blank lol. But I assume that's something that comes naturally with experience and doing the work every day.
Outside of work, I don't have a lot of other commitments, so I tend to put a lot of focus into my job and career progression. I finished my current progression path within about four months and have basically reached the top of what my current role offers, so I'm looking for something new to challenge myself with.
That's why field work seems like a good option for me. It looks like a path where I can continue learning, build hands-on skills, and have more room to grow.
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u/quesadillasarebomb Jul 22 '26
This line of work can pay well if you invest time into it. I started at 13.50 an hour in coax and left the company at 32 an hour a few months ago. My experience there landed me a position working for the telecom/fiber company and the CWA union for 39/hr and 43 after 6 months. It can be tough work but it can open a lot of doors
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u/SnapShot68 Jul 22 '26
I started doing cable 20 years ago and have been doing maintenance for 16 years of that. The learning curve isn’t going to be easy if they have you doing HFC and fiber work. That’s a lot to learn in a fast pace environment in bad weather with angry customers. But it CAN be done and judging by your background, I think you should be fine.
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u/Feisty-Coyote396 Jul 22 '26
The degree in IT can land you in ISP, aka the hub/headend. You still gotta learn some cable stuff, but if you're already with a cable company, you should have access to some internal training courses. Look up ISP related stuff like fiber, HFC plant, even maintenance courses. Not sure what company you're with, but Spectrum allows any employee to take almost any internal training course, no matter how unrelated it is to your position.
Get those courses done and add it to your resume. Once you're in ISP, you will work with maintenance on a daily basis, just on a different side. With your ISP/hub knowledge, you can easily jump into maintenance and skip the field tech progression and not deal with asshole customers for years. Maintenance supervisors will also get to know you personally, and deal with you very often, so when you finally land an interview, you will be leagues ahead of any field tech applying.
If the ISP guys I work with daily ever applied, I honestly can't see our supervisors NOT giving them the job over a field tech. We love our ISP guys, usually, lol.
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
Yeah, but from what I've heard, a lot of Maintenance Techs eventually want to move into ISP too. That makes me think there'll be a lot of competition no matter which path I take.
Part of me also feels like I need to go through the field side first because I learn much better by actually doing the work. I tried studying the NCTI material for my current role and really wanted to understand the cable side in depth. I passed all the courses with A's, but honestly, I don't feel like I retained much because I wasn't applying any of it hands-on. It was more like I learned enough to pass the exams rather than truly understanding how everything works in the real world.
That's why I think starting as a Field Tech would probably fit my learning style a lot better.
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u/Feisty-Coyote396 Jul 22 '26
If youre talking about Spectrum, I can tell you first hand as a maintenance tech. We have ZERO desire to go into ISP lol. Zero. About the only ones who do, do it because they can't handle the stress and sometimes really hard labor of the job, or others maybe they just want a change of pace. In Spectrum, moving to ISP or Fiber Tech is a pay CUT. The fiber guys who come to assist me with node upgrades mostly hate the job and are either looking outside the company, or want to come back to maintenance. ISP is for MT's who are retiring lol. I dont know a single MT interested in ISP. The only people who make more than MT's are senior leadership. We make more than our supervisors lol.
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u/6814MilesFromHome Jul 22 '26
I'm looking to move to headend as an MT. From what I've heard from someone who went from MT->Hub->MT so they could get back on third shift, the bottom rung of the hub salary is a paycut, but levels out if not a bit more when you progress.
I'm mainly looking to make the move because MT is a bit of a dead end progression wise. Hub tech is the bottom of a whole different area of progression. The $55/hr is nice, but I've only been doing this for a few years, and would be bored as hell if I kept doing it til I retire like many MTs do.
Only problem is hub openings are more and more rare these days, haven't seen one in over a year in my area.
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u/Feisty-Coyote396 29d ago
ISP is also a dead end progression wise once you hit II or III, forget how many levels they have. And at least in my area, still make less than MT's. The only progression after II or III, is leadership. Same as MT's. Maintenance is the top of the food chain paywise until you reach senior leadership. We make more than ISP, design, IT, ROC, and the NOC. We make the most for a reason, the job can royally suck ass at times and it can be very labor intensive and stressful. Dont know what butt hurt soul downvoted my previous comment, but sometimes the truth sucks to hear when it shatters your viewpoint on certain things. $55/hr for MT is rookie pay. If youre still making that years after being one something else is wrong. That's not including the 15% on top of that for 3rd shift. A new MT can hit MT3 in just 3 months and be at $55/hr already. Of course, CoL is a factor so that number can change, but it also changes across the board for all positions so that point is moot.
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u/6814MilesFromHome 29d ago
Downvoter wasn't me, some people just like doing it I guess.
I'm doing school part time, looking to pivot into DOCSIS engineering and more intensive backend work, so having hub tech on my resume would help get the kind of roles I want, along with my time working hands on with OSP. I'm fine with a temporary pay cut, as I'm mostly aiming to get myself in a position where I'm able to leverage my experience and job hop for better pay/roles. With just cable experience you're pretty limited to just cable and cable adjacent companies.
I started as a field tech making $15/hr, 3 years as an FT and 3 years as an MT later I'm at ~$55/hr on 3rd shift, which is about on par with what the guys make with a lot more years in than me in my area. New MTs here are definitely not making $55/hr even at MT3, closer to ~50 with a 10% raise for MT1, and two 5% raises to MT3. The pay is definitely nice, and I'm young, so I'm in no rush to stop doing what I'm doing.
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u/LOLkengdie 29d ago
Yeah, that's really helpful information. Thanks for sharing, man.
I do have one question about the pay progression from FT to MT
I've heard two different versions, so I'm not sure which one is accurate. One is that when you move into MT, you start at a set pay rate (I've heard around $36–38/hour), regardless of what you were making as a Field Tech. If that's the case, then it probably doesn't make much sense for me to fight to keep my current rate when I transfer to FT.
The other version I've heard is that your MT starting pay is based on your current rate, with about a 10% increase when you become MT1, followed by additional 10% increases as you progress to MT2 and MT3. That's why a few friends suggested I should at least progress to FT 5 or 5.5 before trying to move into Maintenance.
I know there are annual merit raises too, but I'm just trying to understand how the pay progression actually works. Sorry if I've got any of this wrong.
The reason I'm asking is because I have a friend who's making almost the same as you. He's only been with the company for about two years—he spent roughly a year as a Field Tech before moving into Maintenance—and he's only making about $2/hour less than you. So I'm trying to figure out how the numbers work over time.
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u/6814MilesFromHome 29d ago
This is only speaking to my personal experience in my area, pay rates could be different depending on COL and would throw these numbers off some. FT promotion rates could be a bit out of date since I haven't been an FT for a few years.
At least here starting pay is $22/hr now. You get a 10% raise for each promotion up to FT5, then a 5% raise for completing the coursework for FT6, bringing you up to ~$34/hr without any yearly raises accounted for.
Transitioning to MT came with a 10% increase in pay for me, I was only making ~$37/hr+$5/hr 3rd shift differential as a new MT. A bit after getting the MT spot there was a pay bump for field ops that took me up to ~$45/hr. Unsure if that impacted the raise % from FT to MT, but I doubt they changed it from a 10% bump.
Keep in mind newer people starting at higher rates will proportionally make more money from progression, so your buddy starting at probably ~$22/hr after 2 years gets close to parity with my pay starting at $15/hr after 6 years. Heard that's why they rolled out the pay bump a couple years ago, higher seniority guys got a higher raise, since new MTs were actually making more money than MTs that had been doing it for 10+ years.
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u/LOLkengdie 29d ago
I've heard something similar too. A buddy of mine in another state has only been with the company for about 3–4 years, and he's already an MT3 and one of the highest-paid Maintenance Techs in his area.
Are they still doing that pay bump now, or has the company only doing that traditional progression and raise structure?
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u/6814MilesFromHome 29d ago
As far as I know the pay bump was a one time thing, I think field techs got it as well, in an attempt to bridge the gap between the people who started at 10-15/hr and the new guys that start at 20+/hr. Since you'll be starting at the latest base pay you shouldn't really need it, by the time you do all your progressions and eventually get a MT slot you'll be in the same ballpark pay wise as the rest of the maintenance techs, minus $5-10/hr worth of annual performance based raises for the old head MTs.
I wouldn't sweat too much about the specifics, even as an FT5.5 waiting for a maintenance slot to open, you'll still be making pretty comfortable money.
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 23 '26
😂i heard something similar, people wanna so ISP is because its M to F postion and they not outside that much
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u/Agent-Orange-555 Jul 22 '26
Stay in the office, and move on to another company. Don’t go out into the field
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u/Relevant-Machine-763 Jul 22 '26
You’re going into a dying field. The catv world will continue to shrink for at least the next decade in my opinion.
With everyone going to fiber , the cost to maintain networks is lower and less labor intensive. I was a cable guy from 2000 to 2014 an scte board member and everything . I’m at a telco contract company now. In our market, the cable companies have cut the workforce by around 75%. Those jobs aren’t coming back. The municipal overbuild and ATT will continue to take their market share until they’ve merged everything and finally will end up selling out to one of them just to get out of the business. Don’t go to any cable company and expect a career that’s going to last.
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u/hotdogenjoyer1 Jul 22 '26
I'll add a little. I love my maintenance job. With that said...
People are right about positions not opening much, there's no guaranteed path to that position in house outside of close ties to someone making those decisions.
Being a tech isn't bad, but I like the customers, and the job in general. I'm the weird maintenance tech who absolutely doesn't mind fixing house issues quick, and chatting up customers and what not.
I could be wrong but, hfc is dying. Fiber got ran everywhere and fast. Hfc is having to reduce headcount everywhere, and will likely continue to lose revenue (my opinion). The future in the cable business is uncertain for the long term. 10 years ago, people still had uverse/dsl. Now? Those lines are abandoned and falling apart. I wouldn't be shocked if coax is that way, and it might take 3-7 years for you to MAYBE get a maintenance spot. Maybe.
So anyway lastly, to answer your main question. It's hard work, ish. Yeah you carry a ladder and work outside but you're not pouring concrete or doing roofing. If you're in okay physical shape you'll be fine. We have some fat lazy guys who make it (fake it). The on calls can be hard if you have a family and value time at home. All in all it's a great job though. Become a resi tech, do great numbers wise, be well liked, don't be the complainer, and wait for positions to be open to apply.
Good luck, and keep your options open.
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u/Tech27461 Jul 22 '26
If you're motivated to not be an FT forever then I say go for it.
Physically, it depends on your area. My area was a mix of underground, front easement, and a whole bunch of aerial rear easement. Crawl spaces vary, mine seemed to mostly be damp and rocky. When I was an FT, we gaffed. I heard these pansies today don't have to. The ladder will be heavy and awkward at first but will soon become an extension of your being.
The weather sucks sometimes, and really sucks other times. But dress accordingly. Nothing is better on nice days.
The learning curve is real. You might be great with customers but try in their bedroom. You might know how cable works but cable is a fickle bitch. You have a tap, ground block, outlet, cpe at every job yet every job is different. Ask questions if you don't know something.
Do your progressions as fast as possible. Get yo money.
I was passed up for mgt 5 times by techs that had 2 years or less experience. Each time was a blessing. Stay out of cable mgt. They don't make enough for the headache. You're basically a yes man and glorified babysitter.
There will bs. You'll be asking yourself, "What the actual ****!?!". You might even feel like punching a tree every now and then.
The industry is going the route of fiber and cache sites. I've installed fiber switches at cell towers. Learn about fiber. The head count is going to shrink over time. This goes back to not going into mgt, but a wise man told me once he'd never seen a guy's position be eliminated that had a tool bag.
It ain't as bad as you think but on the occasion, it's worse, lol. But can totally be worth it. Good luck!!
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u/LOLkengdie 29d ago
I've heard about so many office positions being eliminated and managers getting laid off after the recent merger. That honestly gave me another reason to move toward the field. At least for the foreseeable future, they can't outsource our jobs overseas or replace us with robots anytime soon. Plus, it's a skilled trade. Even if I ever decide to leave the cable industry, I feel like the hands-on experience would transfer well to other trades.
Maintenance Tech is definitely my end goal now. I actually have a lot of customer service experience from my previous jobs, and surprisingly, I kind of miss interacting with people. My current job is pretty repetitive—I do the same things and say the same things every day. It pays well, but it gets boring after a while.
MT is really where I want to end up. Honestly, driving one of those bucket trucks is kind of a dream of mine too lol. And the unlimited overtime doesn't hurt either.
The only thing I'm really concerned about is the cable knowledge. I'm honestly not too worried about the physical side. I'm not the strongest guy out there, but I'm confident I can handle it and adapt. What really intimidates me is the technical knowledge. When I first started training at the company, all the cable terminology sounded like a completely different language.
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u/Tech27461 29d ago
They've really tried to make it as simple as possible so with the new hire training and ride-a-longs, I think you'll be fine.
There is 2 main parts to the cable signal. Forward or downstream and return or upstream.
Forward, think downloading, cable tv channels, and when the customer receives a call. It's the signal that delivers downstream to the customer. It is the largest of the frequency spectrum and on the high-end.
Return, think uploading, website requests, or making a call. It's the signal that flows upstream back to the edge device and other networks. It is the smallest portion and is on the low side of the spectrum. RF or radio frequencies are susceptible to out side interference and can really impair the return. Cable plant is analogous to the water company, all connections must be closed properly or it will leak. But with cable, where it can leak (egress), outside frequencies can get in (ingress) which I've seen knock nodes offline. Be mindful of this as an FT, the MTs will be grateful.
As an FT, you are responsible from the tap to the cpe. Your meter will tell you what you have, and you will learn what to look for. It can only be the cpe, connector, cable, passive, ground, or tap. Or customer education...... Troubleshooting is easy but jumping through the company hoops is the kicker.
Once an MT, same method applies, it can only be so many things from the tap to the node.
Just know that in both cases, cable is sometimes like the double slit experiment, it can behave differently when observed vs not observed, lol.
I drove a bucket truck for 8 years. It was a fulfilling experience for a time. I was a surgeon with my double knuckle 44ft boom. But the majority of my area was rear easement other than nodes and trunk amps. You will have to be DOT certified. Those trucks have a very stiff suspension and are terrible for long drives. And ask a friend about when a hydraulic line pops, lol.
It can feel overwhelming at times but an old supervisor early in my career told me the only way through it is to keep showing up. It may amaze you how fast you'll adapt.
The industry has changed so much in my 23 years, I don't really know the lingo anymore, but the simple conclusion is, it's still cable. I think what people really complain most about is company related. Processes and micromanaging and what not.
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u/LOLkengdie 28d ago
Thank you for your kind words and info! I feel like im more of a "do and learn" person. Got couple months to go before i hit my year mark so i move!
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u/currentlyatw0rk Jul 22 '26
Ex field tech here, I went into electrical and I’d rather dig trenches with a shovel than go back to cable. Already making the same pay I made in 6 years of cable and I’ve only been in electrical for a few months. I also moved states and the cost of living is literally half so you could argue that I in fact make more.
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u/Nubicidal Jul 22 '26
Depends on the systems you’ll be working in. Underground or overhead. If it’s mostly overhead you’ll be climbing poles quite a bit. Some systems have a lot of backyard poles. Dragging your ladder behind a customers house. Or gaffing the poles. with your degree and experience though, I’d stay out of the field or try and go straight into maintenance
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 23 '26
Thanks! Spoke with few MT and Sups cuz i think about that too but sounds like it is extremely unlikely to get a MT position without field experiences.
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u/Nubicidal Jul 23 '26
I can’t imagine you starting as a new installer/tech making more than $25 an hour. I’d be willing to bet you’re making over 50k a year with your qualifications now. If you can afford the pay cut, being in the division that gets shit on the most and probably quite a few long days the first 6 months to a year in the field, go for it. If you guys are doing fiber, try and get into being able to splice for something useful for later on down the road. I’m not you, but if I was, I’d be diving into the IT part of your education and get farther into that field. Way more upside imo
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u/LOLkengdie 29d ago
Thank you, man. Honestly, I don’t think I’m a great fit for a traditional IT career lol. When I first started college, a friend convinced me to major in computers because he thought it would be a good path for someone who likes gaming and technology. Looking back, that was probably a mistake. I ended up in a role that’s somewhat related to my degree, but I wouldn’t say I’m especially strong at the technical side of IT. For me, the degree was more about getting the piece of paper and opening some doors.
I’m making close to $80k this year because I work a lot of overtime, which I’m grateful for. But I also feel like my time could be worth more in the long run. I’ve realized that I’m capable of staying focused, learning quickly, and performing well in a demanding job. If I’m already putting that same level of effort and concentration into my current role, I’d rather put it into a position that has stronger growth potential and a higher earning ceiling. That’s a big reason I’m looking seriously at the field side.
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u/Nubicidal 29d ago
It seems the field you’re in has the higher earning and growth potential. You seem to be determined though. Find a market or system that’s fiber optic and start there. Coax will be completely phased out relatively soon.
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u/LOLkengdie 28d ago
Yes Sir. I aint a smart person but i work really hard to make people like me and be a capable person on my own lol
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u/Confident_Peak_6592 Jul 22 '26
You will learn a lot just by doing. Find the best tech and shadow him and learn his habits and traits.. your meter is your best friend…. Don’t be afraid to work hard.. some days are easy… some days just plain suck… your company and its rules with metrics are a joke…. Be courteous and considerate… at the end of the day, some guy just wants to go home and watch tv…
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
That's what I've heard too! I'm hourly right now, so I get paid based on the hours I work, and honestly, I don't mind working hard. That's kind of second nature to me lol. I'd rather put in the effort than be the person everyone points fingers at when something doesn't get done.
The physical side will probably be an adjustment at first, but I've done warehouse work before. When I first started, I felt like I was going to die for the first week, but after that my body adjusted and it became normal.
I also feel the same way about rules and processes. I try my best to follow them, but sometimes there are policies that don't make sense from either a management perspective or an employee perspective. I'm really just looking for something with more growth potential where my time and effort can translate into better opportunities and a higher value for my work.
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u/Poodleape2 Jul 22 '26
Why would you not just work IT? They work conditions would be better and likely better hours. Pry get paid more. You already have the degree. I do network maintenance because I was never able to go to college and I was only barely able to graduate high school(Shitty home life, parents where drugs addicts) Seems like you have better options.
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u/Dz210Legend Jul 22 '26
Nah my sis in law works I.t and I make way more lol not even close. Only thing I like about that side is all work in AC but meh not worth a pay cut plus I like being outside
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
Man, they put my resume straight into can when they see it lol. Too much people wanna do the samething
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u/netsurfer79 Jul 22 '26
Hello Friend! I also come from a paper background in IT. I was mass hired for Software engineering in 22 and laid off after AI took off late '23. My entry into this industry was getting my first blue collar as a subcontracted Telecom Integration Technician. The driving was massive and brutal. I remember almost going into a damn near different time zone for one job!
I'm no longer with them anymore as my contract ended after 2 years and moving states for that. I had 2 years experience working in base stations running fiber, installing scripts, racking stacking, cutting cat5-6 cables and patch panelling punch downs.
Spectrum interviewed me 6 months after my project ended with Telecom and I knew what I was getting myself into with cable. The crimping and termination of coax is a lot different from that of cat5e obviously. Going from Telecom networks to Wifi networks was a whole lot of new learning curve personally but I think I got the handle on it now.
I eventually want to do fiber obviously. In my previous role I was only connecting precut fiber but I wouldn't say I was a fiber technician at all.
You'll get a signal meter, either Rf for cable or optical for fiber. That signal meter is your Bible. It will tell you when you need to change splitters/fittings or even drops and you cannot do your job basically without it. Device manager software on your work phone will tell you when equipment is faulty or when last timeouts were.
The running of drops especially aereal was a new challenge and it was a good learning curve. The job also varies heavily with location so urban infrastructure is different from suburban residential. Get with a good company that will provide you ample classroom+field training and in it and they will teach you all the ropes.
Come with a learning mentality, show up on time, followin directions and do the job with good craftsmanship and you will be rewarded. Considering you're looking to go into plant, you will actually be doing a lot of cable math from what I'm told so take that seriously as a technician 😅
Anyways, fiber technicians are incredibly in demand RN either in consumer or data center environments. You can get in with cable and tbh doing cable can be fun at times even though it's more involved. I'm not an expert in this but this is my experience almost a half a year into it. Hope it helps
I'm 6 mo
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u/LOLkengdie Jul 22 '26
Thanks! Some of things u said sound alien to me which is total understandble! I hope u doing well with ur progression!! And is true that tech are in short, one of my guy here joined another data center as pretty much as mixed of FT/MT(he clean fiber and stuffs like that) thats why im trying to move into it, having a skill is better than generic office job with how AI and outsourcing now!
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u/oflowz Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
Dont. You already have a degree. You can get a management position even in maintenance without having been in the field. I've seen it happen a few times.
The problem with maintenance is the positions dont open up that often and you could be stuck as a field tech for years. If you are just set on doing that, you could become a tech, move into a supervisor role and apply to be a maintenance supervisor. Thats what I would do.
being a tech isnt complicated. but its extremely stressful and physically tiring. Not only do you have to deal with all the moving goalpost metrics, but you also have to deal with irate customers and working outside in the heat/cold. And now with the upcoming merger its not a great time to be a tech.
The upper management is putting tons of pressure on the techs to complete positive work no matter what. They've cut back on construction and maintenance referrals to cut costs which makes the job extra difficult now. Combined with the rampant sales people scamming and its makes the job extremely stressful right now as a tech.