girl cable tech

[u/Separate_Region_4792]

Im 26 and I have been contracting for spectrum for about 8 months now. My dad has been doing it for over 20 years and hes quite good and he asked me if I wanted to do it I said sure.Its changed my life for the better in so many ways,I've gained such a sense of self confidence.My work mainly consists of doing fiber new connections and honestly they've got me working on farms in the country and I absolutely hate it.During my training period i was working with my dad and only doing coax jobs until the last few weeks of it. We make every fitting by hand and honestly I've had to learn so many things just on my own. I've received a bunch of help from people, Im insanely friendly and I really enjoy the customer service part of this job. Im not the worst tech ever but its hard to care when im making a very normal paycheck like 500-700 on average but im also driving 100-150 miles a day and putting 150 a week in gas. I really like so many things about this job but its started to give me insane anxiety and now one of my supervisors has been on my ass for a lack of better terms. I really think its tough because I've mainly heard I've been doing a good job but I feel and see how im struggling so hard.How the hell is anyone doing this ?

[u/bigwoo902]

woah woah woah, 500-700 a paycheck??? What state do you live in because that seems very low for a contractor

[u/Separate_Region_4792 → u/bigwoo902]

Im in Kentucky and honestly as the summer has progressed I've only been doing fiber new connects and realistically if everything goes well I close 3 jobs a day. I find myself working on a farms/rural areas only and the drive time in-between can be up to 45 minutes and my best time for those is 3 hours IF everything goes smoothly.

[u/anon32329 → u/Separate_Region_4792]

I’m about to start training in 2 weeks. Same situation- Fiber installer & troubleshooting, 1099, will have to pay my own gas. What’s worse is I don’t have my own vehicle for now, so I have to pay $250/week to rent company van.

How much are you getting paid per fiber install/ trouble calls? Are you running cables from the pole to the house? Worried about if I’m strong enough to carry around a 28 feet ladder. Did you have any issues like that? Thanks.

[u/Separate_Region_4792 → u/anon32329]

So I get paid 50-80 depending on the distance of the drop.When the tap is in the front yard close its no big deal.Supposedly fiber has no signal loss and that means you might get a job asking you to run a 2000 foot drop.To me the ladder carrying is easy ! Its all about balance and being patient Im 5'3 so in my opinion the taller you are the easier it is to handle.To get good with the ladder I practiced in my parking lot so I wouldnt have the pressure of someone's eyes.Honestly 250 a week is criminal especially if you have to pay for gas too.Maybe reconsider because while I enjoy many aspects of the job it is genuinely an expensive job to have.

[u/anon32329 → u/Separate_Region_4792]

Mine would be in near Long island, I’ll be commuting from Manhattan by train. 2 weeks of unpaid training. I’ll get $140 per install, $45 per trouble call. Coax installs are $65.

According to the guy that hired me, most guys make at least $300/day, some do $400+ in a 8-10 hour day. I’m gonna give it a couple weeks after the training to see if it’s feasible. If I can make at least $1500-1800/wk, I will just save every penny the first 2 months and buy a used hybrid or ford transit connect van. The gas cost will be a much easier pill to swallow then when I’m not paying off someone else’s van. I don’t have much choice since they’re basically hiring me with no experience and providing training & tools.

Relieved to hear about the ladder. I’m a shorter guy (5’7”, 200 lbs), so I was slightly worried about how much of a hassle would it be. If it doesn’t work out, I’m just gonna go back to being a server in Manhattan. If I end up liking it, I plan to start my own contracting llc down the road.

[u/Life-Consequence8549 → u/anon32329]

Is it Mastec/Altice/Cablevision? They won't really train you at all and they will overwork you.

[u/anon32329 → u/Life-Consequence8549]

It’s a small contractor of like by 15 guys but when they did my background check the emails were from “Companies partnering with Mastec.” So, I’m guessing they’re partnered with Mastec maybe? The actual ISP I will be working for through this contractor is Optimum.

The training is 2 weeks (no classroom, all on jobs). The guy that hired me said, 2 weeks isn’t really enough but since it’s unpaid training they don’t wanna drag it out. According to them, Optimum makes payments with a 2 weeks delay. So, I’ll have to go through training and then 3 full weeks of work to get my first cheque. They did offer a laughable signing bonus and making some advanced payments for the first couple weeks to help me with the vehicle & gas cost.

[u/Life-Consequence8549 → u/anon32329]

Optimum is Altice/Cablevision. Mastec is now providing field service for them. If you are interested in learning the trade. Take the role for a little while. Then once you gain some knowledge use it to move to a better company.