How To Become A Tower Climber: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tower climber and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

As a tower climber, you will essentially serve the purpose of inspecting, maintaining, and repairing equipment of towers, such as cell towers, monopoles, self-supporting towers, among others. So, if you are good at working on heights, then this is the right job for you.

Some of the duties and responsibilities that you will be performing in this capacity include performing comprehensive installations, inspections, and maintenance of antennas and other components installed on the tower. Moreover, you will also do damage repairs, assist other technicians and engineers. You may also be required to aid in rescue operations if another employee is stuck or has sustained injuries while completing their tasks on the tower. Essential skills required to successfully complete these tasks are communication, organizational, physical stamina, technical, and interpersonal skills.

A high school diploma or a GED may suffice for the educational requirements. Some employers may require certifications in safety and other areas. What is essential is technical knowledge and proven work experience in a similar role. The average hourly pay for this position is $19.65, which amounts to $40,868 annually. The tasks may be daunting, but the monetary compensation is generous.

ScoreTower ClimberUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $41,248

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.5

Growth Rate 8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.63%

Asian 6.57%

Black or African American 12.17%

Hispanic or Latino 18.07%

Unknown 4.87%

White 57.68%

Gender

female 4.32%

male 95.68%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress Level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.7

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tower climber

Explore tower climber education requirements

Most common tower climber degrees

High School Diploma

48.5 %

Diploma

17.0 %

Associate

15.1 %

Start to develop specific tower climber skills

Skills	Percentages
CPR	30.67%
RF	28.64%
OSHA	26.89%
Broadband	8.12%
Safety Equipment	0.99%

Complete relevant tower climber training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tower climbers 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 tower climber based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tower climber resumes.

Research tower climber duties and responsibilities

Utilize Anritsu site master in conducting tests on sites while accomplishing tasks including lighting upgrades and troubleshooting of light systems
Provide multiple PIM and sweep testing troubleshooting and also change transmission lines, antennas and weatherproofing.
Lead a crew that build RF broadcast tower's around the state.
Certify climber cpr and rescuer of cell towers.

Prepare your tower climber resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tower climber 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 tower climber resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Tower Climber Resume templates

Build a professional Tower Climber 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 Tower Climber resume.

Apply for tower climber jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a tower climber 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 tower climbers rate their job?

3/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Tower Climber reviews

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2021

Pros

New scenes every week. Being up high in my own work with guys I can call faimly. I also enjoys the substantial pay raise from working at a restaurant lol

Cons

Pay isn’t quite what it should be considering out work is extremely dangerous. No room for errors or someone will die. Every year we are required to acquire more and more certifications without a pay raise. As well as the “get it done yesterday mentality”.