Hi all,
I discovered this message board and it seems like a good source for info so I thought I would ask about getting into the telecom field. I guess I need to know what kind of training/skills are needed to get an entry level job. There seems to be a lot of options from online courses, seminars to full blown collage courses. I have been an HVAC tech for 15 years with complex building controls being my specialty, I'm also an avid computer hobbiest self taught in hardware, software, programming and networking. I'm also pretty good with basic eletronics repair. I have been reading up on telecom basics and it seems right up my alley. Any info or advice on the pros and cons of the trade and the best way to get training would be most welcome.

To get an "entry level job" you need to be able to drag wire through a drop ceiling. You don't say why you want to change vocations, but I have to tell you, around here - an HVAC tech that can do complex building controls can command considerably more money then a telecom tech with some years of experience. To draw a comparable income you will need CTI skills (computer Telephony) which will require some years, and schooling. If you decide on a College course, please spell College correctly when you apply.
mark

Welcome to the board Stone. Mark makes a good point. HVAC techs don't do too bad, depending on where your at. A bit less stress than in the telecom field as well, but telecom has it's rewards. A "collage" course may be a waste of time, most of us learned OJT. Start with some basic cable install procedures and go from there. You can be a computer whiz, but if you don't know the color code, you won't get past square one.

Yes, agreed. Learn what color code is and proper punchdown methods..and please learn to not lock down 66 blocks (you will understand why later)...lol this irks me to no end. One thing is for sure besides learning to pull cable I became one hell of a scissors lift driver.

Don't listen to those guys...there just messen with ya on the College issue. You guys need to keep an eye on dtmf
But they do make a valid point, you need to learn the basics so you'll know what your doing with your computer, HVAC and any other skills you can use with-in the industry. Then you need to figure out what part of the industry you want to get into...The industry consists of Consulting, Installation and Repair, Networking, Cable Construction, Sales, Brokering and CO construction, Central Office maintenance and repair...to name a few and there all a slightly different game with different wage scales.

------------------
| Need a Telephone | Telephone Installers

Hey Guys thanks for all the good advice, and spelling corrections Mark . Looks like I would need to start as an installer like I thought and decide what area of the trade I would like to get into and hope I can learn it and move up fast. I can afford to take big cut in pay right now if it means I'll be doing something I enjoy later on. HVAC is not all that bad and $30 an hr is good money for this area, but I don't get to work on the stuff I like nearly as much as the mechanical end of the trade. There are a few companies in my area looking for installers/techs most say System Certification Preferred. What kind of cert are they talking about and what kind of money do installers make? Also what kinda tools would I need and where is a good place to get them?

$30 an hour? Not sure what phone guys make out there, but that is more than any phone guy in our state makes!!!

Wow I didnt realize phone techs where such a low paying field, it must be some real easy work I guess.

The secret to being a rich phone tech is
to marry well.
JBW

Stone88
What do you think you are going to get paid; you'll come in with no experience and want 50 dollars an hour??

I don't think he was thinking that, but I'm sure he was thinking "Wow, Phone guys need to be certified on many systems, have knowledge on umpteen different kinds, know the NEC, and also be a computer wiz. IT guys just need to be a computer wiz and they make lots of money, so phone techs should make even more. Sadly that is not the case. The HIGHEST paid employee tech I have seen makes about $30/hour in the Portland, OR area. IMHO he is underpaid. He could easily go work in some computer field at $50 an hour. But he enjoys the variety of work. I guess that is the same for almost all of us. Variety.
Sometimes not being mind-numbed is worth $20 an hour cut.

Have you considered Med. or Law school?

naa, as I said in my post I can take a big cut in pay right now. Bill makes the point I was thinking you guys have to have a lot of tech skills, certs and knowledge. I also bet there is a lot of new tech to learn all the time too. Money isn't everything if you enjoy the work though, I'm just bummed you can't make more in the field.

If you work for yorself you make from 80 to 110 and hour depending on where you are.

of course sometimes you only work 2 hours a week
mark

I was thinking of becoming a moderator on a web forum. I could imagine all the glamour and untold riches you guys must enjoy.

don't forget the groupies.
mark

You must be an administrator for said riches!

Trade? I thought this was a craft...daggnabbit 25 years of quality work and now I find out it's just a trade

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Flexible work hours, travel, glamor....what a life





------------------
One stop Voice and Data Solutions VoIP

Unfortunatly, the telephone is one of the most "taken for granted" technologies to date. Nobody ever thinks about what happens when they lift the handset to place or answer a call (even though they do it many times a day), but when they don't hear that dialtone they all look right down into the handset with utter dismay and bewilderment. Everyone expects a computer to crash, but not their phone system, even though it is usually controlled by a CPU. Then there is no limit to what they will spend to get their phones back into operation. A business will go many hours or even days with a disabled computer or HVAC system. But they need their phones back ASAP. If you can do that for them your as good as gold.

Stone88, as already stated, the best (and only?) way to learn phone systems is OJT. Unless you work for a manufacturer or vendor approved by a manufacturer, system certification can be costly and sometimes hard to obtain. At any rate you will still learn alot more from experience than from a classroom. We have NEC certified technicians, but the main reason they become certified is so that they can use NTAC for support.
------------------
| CMS Communications, Inc.

[This message has been edited by Rolm9751 (edited January 13, 2005).]

Unfortunatly, the telephone is one of the most "taken for granted" technologies to date. Nobody ever thinks about what happens when they lift the handset to place or answer a call (even though they do it many times a day), but when they don't hear that dialtone they all look right down into the handset with utter dismay and bewilderment. Everyone expects a computer to crash, but not their phone system, even though it is usually controlled by a CPU. Then there is no limit to what they will spend to get their phones back into operation. A business will go many hours or even days with a disabled computer or HVAC system. But they need their phones back ASAP. If you can do that for them your as good as gold.


------------------
| CMS Communications, Inc.

best money I have seen is being contract install, test, troubleshooters for onw of the large telco's, cell co's and the T-1 internet guys. None of these are even close to entry level but a good computer IT guy is good to have around on the internet and network stuff.