Structured Cabling / Network Technician
Fiber, copper, patch panels, and cross-connects.
Pay range
$50,000 – $80,000
Entry path
BICSI Installer training (~6 months) or hands-on apprenticeship
About the role
Structured cabling techs design, install, and maintain the physical-layer network — fiber runs, copper cabling, patch panels, cross-connects in carrier hotels. The work is methodical and detail-oriented. Career progression goes from Installer 1 → Installer 2 → Technician → Lead → Designer (RCDD). It's the lowest-barrier credentialed entry into data center work, with strong demand from both colos and hyperscaler campuses.
What you do
- •Pull and terminate copper and fiber cabling
- •Install patch panels, cable trays, and overhead pathways
- •Test and certify cable runs with Fluke or similar testers
- •Document infrastructure into IBX/CMDB systems
- •Coordinate cross-connect orders for carrier hotel customers
Certifications and credentials
- •BICSI Installer 1 → Installer 2 → Technician
- •BICSI RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer) — senior tier
- •Fluke fiber certification
- •Manufacturer training (CommScope, Corning, Panduit)
Best fit for
- •Recent grads or career changers wanting a low-barrier technical entry
- •Detail-oriented workers who prefer methodical work
- •Anyone interested in the network/IT side without an engineering degree
A typical day
Arrive at a colocation site. Pull morning work orders: 12 new fiber cross-connects between cage 4 and cage 17. Spend the day running, dressing, and labeling fiber. Test each run with a Fluke. Document into the inventory system. Close out tickets.
See open roles
Browse the live data center map to find facilities near you, then use the job-board matrix on any facility page to search for Structured Cabling / Network Technician openings on Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter.