Education · 1 of 5

The path

No degree. A high school diploma, a clean driving record and a willingness to climb.

1. 1

   High school diploma

   Grades 9 to 12

   Take any electronics, shop or technology class your school offers. Physical fitness matters more here than grades.

2. 2

   Get hired as an installer

   Weeks to months of applying

   Cable and phone companies and their contractors hire at entry level and train. This is the most common way in.

3. 3

   Learn the trade on the job

   6 to 18 months

   Ladder and pole safety, aerial lifts, copper, coaxial cable and then fiber. Classroom blocks mixed with ride-alongs.

4. 4

   Certify in fiber

   Short courses, ongoing

   Splicing and testing fiber optic cable is the skill that separates pay levels in this trade now.

5. 5

   Senior technician or lead

   3 to 6 years

   Fault finding, network maintenance, training new hires, or moving into central office and network operations work.