How To Become A Switch Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a switch engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted Expert

Professor David Sanford

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a switch engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $49.8 an hour? That's $103,588 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 18,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Switch Engineer?

Professor David Sanford

Associate Professor an Department Chair (MIS, CS, CYB MGT, IS CYB), Northwood University

Workers like that they are challenged to solve problems and lead technological innovations.
They appreciate the diversity of projects
They enjoy the need for continuous improvement and education
Many see the global impact of their work.
They also desire and appreciate the need for versatile skills
A competitive salary is also an item that employees like

Workers dislike that the work can be stressful
Dealing with tight deadlines and/ or cybersecurity concerns.
This is a positive and a negative: The need to constantly stay up to date with technology can be a bit overwhelming for some.
There may be times of isolation, and
The unexpected system failures can be frustrating as they often require extra hours or the need to be on-call.
The multiple responsibilities and managing repetitive tasks are also issues workers point out in this field.

In short, the workplace offers exciting opportunities but comes with its fair share of pressures and challenges. Different people have different experiences based on their roles and personal preferences.

ScoreSwitch EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $103,588

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.7

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 11.02%

Black or African American 9.00%

Hispanic or Latino 12.68%

Unknown 5.09%

White 61.89%

Gender

female 11.05%

male 88.95%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a switch engineer

Explore switch engineer education requirements

Most common switch engineer degrees

Bachelor's

58.9 %

Associate

20.7 %

Master's

8.9 %

Start to develop specific switch engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Switches	13.73%
MSC	4.77%
Software Upgrades	4.13%
VoIP	3.67%
Trouble Tickets	3.47%

Complete relevant switch engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New switch engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a switch engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real switch engineer resumes.

Research switch engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage Alcatel and Telecom Egypt technical teams.
Manage all aspects of DS3 and DS1 connectivity between various equipment and vendors.
Implement the latest Avaya VoIP technology that lead to cost reduction and improve VoIP features.
Manage mobile switch for 20-cell CDMA test overlie of Sprint/APC commercial GSM network in Washington D.C.

Prepare your switch engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your switch engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a switch engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Switch Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Switch Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Switch Engineer resume.

Apply for switch engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a switch engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do switch engineers rate their job?