Compare A Fiber Optic Technician ↔ B Communications Electrician Supervisor

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Your route

2 moves · +$1,020 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels

Gates on this route

Move 1, to Fire Alarm Technician: license not checked yet.
Move 2, to Communications Electrician Supervisor: license depends on the work (Texas: power wiring needs a TDLR electrician license unless exempt: plant employees in petrochemical and oil and gas (1305.003(a)(14)), low-voltage controls (a)(12), in-house maintenance (a)(8)), experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (O*NET, most common).

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Fiber Optic Technician to Fire Alarm Technician -$23,470 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers as a related occupation (Primary-Long); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.81.
- Gates: license not checked yet.
Move 2 L1 step up on Low-voltage and life-safety systems
Fire Alarm Technician to Communications Electrician Supervisor +$24,490 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- Next rung on 'Low-voltage and life-safety systems' (Skilled to Lead).
- Gates: license depends on the work (Texas: power wiring needs a TDLR electrician license unless exempt: plant employees in petrochemical and oil and gas (1305.003(a)(14)), low-voltage controls (a)(12), in-house maintenance (a)(8)), experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (O*NET, most common).
- Skills to build: Management of Personnel Resources, Monitoring, Negotiation

Side by side

All First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers: Texas median $76,760, $1,020 more a year than all Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers ($75,740), every experience level.

Communications Electrician Supervisor: 53% work more than 40 hours a week, about 1.8 times the share for Fiber Optic Technician (30%).

Occupation-wide pay all experience levels, not this level's pay; Texas median, base pay, $0 to $300k

$75,740+$1,020$76,760

Gates on the route: Fire Alarm Technician: license not checked yet; Communications Electrician Supervisor: license depends on the work (Texas: power wiring needs a TDLR electrician license unless exempt: plant employees in petrochemical and oil and gas (1305.003(a)(14)), low-voltage controls (a)(12), in-house maintenance (a)(8)), experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (O*NET, most common).

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +4.3% Texas, 810 openings a year

B +11.2% Texas, 6,510 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

30%+23 pts53%

Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first

3.5 / 5-0.92.6 / 5

Outdoors, all weather-1.69Outdoors, all weather: A 4.95, B 3.26
Climbing ladders-1.54Climbing ladders: A 3.26, B 1.72
Cramped space-1.21Cramped space: A 3.57, B 2.36
Kneeling or crawling-1.08Kneeling or crawling: A 3.4, B 2.32
High places-1.05High places: A 3.48, B 2.43

Degree

A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 2% do).

B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 10% do).

License

A No TDLR electrician license for fiber, cabling and communications circuits (1305.003(a)(12)). Alarm or access control work may need a DPS license: not checked (site unreachable 2026-10-03).

B Texas: power wiring needs a TDLR electrician license unless exempt: plant employees in petrochemical and oil and gas (1305.003(a)(14)), low-voltage controls (a)(12), in-house maintenance (a)(8).

Experience

A Most common related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET: 29%).

B Most common related work experience: over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (O*NET: 41%).

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 4

Complex Problem Solving
Troubleshooting
Operation and Control
Service Orientation

To build: 6

Management of Personnel Resources +2.00
Learning Strategies +1.12
Instructing +1.00
Systems Analysis +1.00
Systems Evaluation +1.00
Monitoring +0.88

Make this your goal

Save Fiber Optic Technician to Communications Electrician Supervisor as your goal. Each step then shows the hours you have logged toward it, your exam practice and your license, with the one thing to do next and the 6 skills to build as a checklist. Free with an account.