Whether you are a fresh graduate or an inspiring undergraduate student, the one thing common to your worries is this one word that can easily rid you of your sleep: adulthood! Adulthood is the trickiest part of your life, and you feel many emotions towards it; whether it is anger, curiosity, fear, or hesitancy, you feel all of it. And there is a cure to address all these emotions, guidance.
A little something to guide us on our journey plays the biggest role in our lives and helps us declutter our thoughts, which are an added feature of adulthood.
For this reason, we have taken upon ourselves a small part of this guidance role. Today’s article will be directed toward a special and diverse work sector: the telecommunications Industry.
The article will take care of introducing the star of the show and will give you an in-depth look into the sector. Our objective is to ensure that you are escorted by someone in the new chapter of your life. We hope you enjoy this read!
About the Telecommunications Industry
Human beings are social animals, and their need to communicate has led to the development of the telecommunications sector. The telecommunications industry was born in 1830 with the invention of the telegraph, which set the foundational objective of the industry: to shorten the time it takes to communicate from one place to another.
Therefore, the communications sector comprises companies that transmit data in words, audio, and videos worldwide. It can be further divided into three sub-sectors: telecom equipment, telecom services, and wireless communication.
For better context, your local cable operators, the telephone companies, Google, Facebook, Apple, eBay, Microsoft, Adobe, and Amazon; all come under the umbrella of the telecommunications industry, making the industry the most widespread and most evolving industry in the world.
Of course, we are the most dependent on the telecommunications industry, after oxygen, food, and money. This brings us to the next question.
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Is Telecommunications a Good Career Path?
Your first job or even an internship experience should be somewhere which gives you exposure to the speed with which the world is evolving. Telecommunications is one such sector. It allows you the keep up with the evolving technology. It should be the best option for you, especially if you are social and have always been good with teamwork. And it will not limit you to one sector because it is growing each day and has seen its biggest growth during the pandemic, where businesses are now more active online than in offices.
So, if you have always been good with change, then the telecommunications industry is a wise career path. For you, it is a big Yes!Â
What are the qualifications required to work in the telecommunications industry?
If you have made it so far, you will be willing to enter the industry given a chance. Since the industry is vast and equally diverse, it means that whatever academic level you are at, you will have employment options in this industry. However, the opening positions require bachelor’s and master’s degrees for more lucrative positions.
We are talking about an entire industry here; hence, the subject options match the needs. Whether you are an engineer, a designer, have an MBA, or even a technician, this sector will give you opportunities.
tA degree in telecommunications will be up your game more than anyone. Still, the best part about the industry is that they have training sessions for all their hires, making it easier for the recruits to learn and grow.
The main skillset that they are interested in are:
- Cloud calculating skills
- IT support expertise
- Programming
- Interpersonal Communication
- Time management
- Diligence
If you have any of these, you are good to go!
What type of work do telecommunication equipment professionals have to do? Which ones will be the best?
Telecommunications equipment is the most in-demand industry. It recruits technicians ranging from repairers to installers and engineers.
As per their description, the technicians are tasked with installing and maintaining the equipment used to transmit signals, both via phone lines and the internet. As engineers, they work on the repair and maintenance of the more complex systems used in telecommunications.
Engineers get paid more than technicians based on the type of work they are linked to. Besides this, the sub-sector also employs data scientists and analysts because of the nature of the industry. The industry is the fastest in the world, so it needs to have researchers to let it be informed on the needs of the consumer and scientists to help cater to these needs.
From amongst these three, you can pick the type of work you think best suits your career path.
How many jobs are available in telecommunications equipment?
Once you have discovered a sector and have felt a slight inclination towards it, it is natural to think about whether the sector is open to more employees or not? Well, our dear readers, we bear good news; the telecommunications equipment sector is the fastest growing sector, and there has been an average of ten thousand job openings annually in the equipment industry alone. Big names in this sector like Verizon and AT&T are growing at a generous scale and are expected to generate up to 40,000 jobs in the coming years!
Again, as mentioned in the previous section, the jobs will range from those of:
- Technicians
- Data Analysts
- Managers
- System managers
- Engineers
- Telecommunications specialists
- Operators
- And Customer Service.
Any further opening would be dependent on the growing demands of this industry.
What are some of the best-paying job positions in the telecommunications industry?
When there are so many options to choose from, it is an instinct to pick the one which pays the most.
I think it will be best to break this down for each specialty.
Telecommunications Engineers
The average salary of a telecommunications engineer is $85,500 per year and has a hike of up to $141,351 with experience. You will have to deal with coworkers, customers, and technicians, so this job is for someone who can handle the buzz of a beehive. In addition, they are also required to work on VoIP, telephone networks, cabling standards, WAN protocols, and ISO documentation.
Equipment Installers and Repairers
Technicians are the live savers of the industry and take care of your network installations, troubleshoot outages, and prepare installation circuits. They also come in direct contact with the customers, so they must be trained to manage them. They have an hourly pay rate and get around $24.89 per hour.
Telecommunications Managers
Telecommunication companies are giants, and managing them is a mammoth task. Therefore, the average a telecom manager makes is $75000 per year. They also have the highest starting salaries of around $32000 per year.
Data Analysts and Data Scientists
These guys play a key role in bringing innovations to the companies, are linked to Telecommunications specialists, and make an average yearly income of around $80,000.
System Managers
Managing the makeup of the beehive is a lucrative task and can get you $96179 per year
- The top earners in this list are our VoIP engineers, and can earn up to $122923 per year
- Customer Service Representative
They, too, have an hourly rate and can earn $13.64 per hour.
We have done our best to give you an accurate image of what to expect from your job in the description and pay. The industry has great growth potential and is now up to you to decide how much you want to make of it.
What is the job outlook for careers in telecommunications?
Job outlooks are an effective way to understand your potential to land a role in the industry. As we have mentioned, the telecommunication industry is a wonderland of its own, so to land a role in it, you will have to make sure that you understand what you can give to the industry.
The sector will see growth in the coming years due to the technological advancements being made every day. Yet, there will be certain trends for which you need to look out. For instance, the world is turning to wireless connections, and it can be predicted that the task of wire installers and repairers in the coming years may witness a decline in demand. So, if you plan to become a technician, this might be your sign to rethink your decision before finalizing it.
In contrast, the industry’s growth is a great sign for engineers, managers, analysts, and scientists because as the sector grows, increased people around the world will be dependent on the industry for their businesses, thereby creating a demand for a greater workforce.
Work Environment
This section was the toughest to comprehend because we are discussing many workplaces under one heading. But we genuinely want to give you the best guidance; hence, we have tried our best to paint a clear picture for you.
Regarding the work environment, two things matter the most: the hours required to put in and the work conditions you must work in.
The telecommunications industry expands to both outdoor work tasks and indoor work tasks. The technicians and repairers are the main outdoor workers because their work is not in one set office. Most deal with system outages, breakdowns, and installations, which aren’t limited to hours or a geographical location. They are expected to be available whenever they are needed and wherever they are needed. It is partly because of this reason that they have an hourly pay rate.
In comparison, the engineers, managers, and analysts are all confined to proper set offices and set work hours. Out of them, the engineers are expected to work overtime in tough weather conditions like floods and storms to deal with system malfunctions. The rest is your regular cooperative pattern of working a set number of hours.
Salary
This was screaming to get a separate section. The matter of salary can drive you crazy if you do not pay attention to it. Even though our previous sections did highlight the expected pay cheques of the positions offered in the industry, we kept a separate section to emphasize the question of the salaries.
According to our research, telecommunication financial analysts, lawyers, and engineers are the highest-paid jobs in the industries. And going down the lane, the technicians may be some of the lowest to earn. But the industry’s upside lies in the fact that the industry has great growth potential for individuals, and the more you gain experience, the more lucrative the industry becomes for you.
The average hourly rate in 2020 for a software engineer was $44.80 and for an installer was $26.9. Compared to other sectors’ net averages, the telecommunications sector’s fares are particularly good.
Conclusion:
That was one deep study, both for us and you. But we hope you could gain out of it as much as we did. Our key takeaways from this study for you are that the sector is a wonderful place to start your career. It is great because
- It is always going to grow. The more the technology advances, the greater the sector grows.
- Let’s face it, never going to shut down because we cannot live without our phones.
- Diverse. It is the most welcoming to young minds, how cool is that!
These are just a few things that are the best about it, but they are some of the most important things one should ask when making a career-oriented decision. We hope we have been fair in our insights and that this article has been able to paint a good picture.
All the best for your career plans!