Becoming a Telecommunications Engineer

The following article outlines the job duties, training involved, salary expectations and future prospects of taking on a career as a Telecommunications Engineer.

Preview:

Telecommunications engineers work on the design, installation, and maintenance of the equipment that is needed to provide a modem telecommunications net work - both satellite and land-based systems. These engineers additionally provide the services concerned with equipment that interacts with telecommunications networks, including telephones, modems, multimedia systems, and fax machines.

The Job:

The job of telecommunications engineers is in a state of change as global telecommunications systems are developing rapidly. Some work in research and development, where they devise new equipment and novel software products that will aid decisions taken by the telephone network. They also provide new services for the customer. It is work that requires an in-depth understanding of digital electronics.

Increasingly, now that light signals and glass fibers are replacing electrons and copper wire in so many everyday applications, optoelectronics is also a key technology they must understand. Old analogue systems are being replaced by digital systems, which rely on pulses of electrons or light. New cables, the physical pathways of what is often referred to as the information superhighway and terrestrial systems are being laid to distribute this new technology worldwide.

Telecommunications engineers are concerned with the generation and broadcasting of signals and their detection, amplification, and decoding. Some of this work involves satellites and aerials, while some is cable based. Signals sent by wire over long distances have to be amplified at regular, well-defined intervals so that they can still be detected at their destination.

There is a strong element of software in all telecommunications systems. Many of these engineers must be good computer programmers, capable of designing the software that will be embedded in the electronic system. This software allows one piece of equipment to interpret the signals coming from another. It also makes decisions on the route a signal will take through the network.

The manufacture, assembly, and testing of new systems and their installation is another key area of work. Many engineers are also employed to train clients in the use of telecommunications systems and to maintain those systems that have been installed and are already in use.

Some telecommunications engineers are employed by the different branches of the armed services to provide a means of sending secure messages from commanders to those operating in the field. Modern warfare depends crucially on advanced telecommunications systems.

Training Involved:

Training to become a professional engineer takes at least 4 years, in addition to academic study. In some countries, this training is interspersed with time spent as a student, in others, it occurs after academic qualifications have been gained. The initial training usually includes a broad range of experience in design and development, in providing a customer service, and in maintenance and workshop practices. This may be obtained through spending several months in each of a number of departments.

Before the end of training, young engineers are usually given specific responsibility for a project or a section of work. While health and safety is not as crucial in telecommunications as it is in many other engineering disciplines, it is still important for these engineers to have a thorough understanding of the issues in this area that impinge on their operations.

In some countries, professional engineering institutions accredit training schemes offered by some employers. Such schemes may not offer the only route to professional engineer status, but they are usually the best available and may lead to quicker career progression and earlier promotion to positions of responsibility.

Useful Qualifications to Have:

Useful subjects include: electronics, computer science, and information technology.

Salary Expectations:

The base salary range of a Telecommunications Engineer ranges from $49,553 to $85,236 annually, while the median salary for most Telecommunications Engineers is $64,500 annually. (US Base Pay)

Future Prospects:

Prospects for telecommunications engineers are excellent. The deregulation of the global telecommunications industry and its opening up to competition has created a large number of new companies, all providing telecommunications services. Many years ago, telecommunications was dominated by government-run agencies. The expansion of cable television services and satellite broadcasting, and the growth into interactive home computer systems, the worldwide web, and email and information systems have created an expansion of the industry at an annual rate well above 10 percent.

New services are continually being devised, tested, and introduced into public use. All require engineers to design, develop, test, and install them, as well as people to monitor how they operate in practice. Major increases in the reliability of telecommunications equipment, however, are reducing the number of engineers employed in maintenance functions.

For further information, contact professional engineering institutions representing the interests of telecommunications engineers, electronic engineers, or computer engineers. Also contact trade associations representing telecommunications services providers.