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

What is a telecom engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A telecom engineer is a communications professional who designs, develops, and maintains computer networks and computer software used in the telecommunications industry. They ensure that all telecom services and devices function as required, and perform phone system installation, maintain wireless devices, routers, IT networks, cable systems, optical fiber, and other telecom technologies and equipment. These engineers have expert knowledge in telephone and communication networks, as well as voice, video, and data communications systems.

Most telecom engineers have a bachelor's degree or an associate's degree in computer science, IT, electrical engineering, or a related field. They should be adept at problem-solving and also have strong math skills and some experience in the telecom industry. A telecom engineer should also possess strong organizational, analytical, troubleshooting, and teamwork skills.

The National Bureau of Labor Statistics places telecom engineers under a broader category of electrical and electronics engineers and reports that the median annual wage for these individuals is $101,000, and the career field is expected to grow 3% by 2028.

ScoreTelecom EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $81,384

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.7

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 14.60%

Black or African American 4.84%

Hispanic or Latino 11.25%

Unknown 4.71%

White 64.42%

Gender

female 13.80%

male 86.20%

Age - 44

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 - 44

Stress Level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.2

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a telecom engineer

Explore telecom engineer education requirements

Most common telecom engineer degrees

Bachelor's

67.3 %

Master's

12.9 %

Associate

12.3 %

Start to develop specific telecom engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
VoIP	9.27%
Telephony	8.39%
Telecommunication	6.02%
Unified Communications	5.06%
LAN	3.92%

Complete relevant telecom engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New telecom 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 telecom engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real telecom engineer resumes.

Research telecom engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage global corporate VPN (voice private network).
Design and manage numerous PBX installations throughout Europe and Asia.
Manage DS3 and switch activity in the central and southern regions.
Manage port requests for ethernet, async and sync connectivity for remote network management.

Prepare your telecom engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your telecom 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 telecom 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 Telecom Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Telecom 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 Telecom Engineer resume.

Apply for telecom engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a telecom 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