Compare A Fire Alarm Technician ↔ B Fiber Optic Technician
ShareYour route
1 move · +$23,470 a year, Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
Gates on this route
- Move 1, to Fiber Optic Technician: license depends on the work (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)).
Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Fire Alarm Technician to Fiber Optic Technician +$23,470 Texas medians of each whole occupation, all experience levels
- O*NET lists Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.81 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates: license depends on the work (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)).
Side by side
All Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers: Texas median $75,740, $23,470 more a year than all Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers ($52,270), every experience level.
Fire Alarm Technician: 57% work more than 40 hours a week, about 1.9 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
Gates on the route: license depends on the work (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)).
Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation
A +21.6% Texas, 1,300 openings a year
B +4.3% Texas, 810 openings a year
Over 40 h a week
Physical load our index from O*NET, 1 to 5; A B; largest differences first
2.9 / 5+0.63.5 / 5
- Outdoors, all weather+1.52Outdoors, all weather: A 3.43, B 4.95
- Kneeling or crawling+1.28Kneeling or crawling: A 2.12, B 3.4
- Bending or twisting+1.27Bending or twisting: A 2.36, B 3.63
- Very hot or cold+0.94Very hot or cold: A 3.49, B 4.43
- Hazardous equipment+0.89Hazardous equipment: A 2.79, B 3.68
Degree
A Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 0% do).
B Most people in this job do not hold a bachelor's degree (O*NET: 2% do).
License
A No TDLR electrician license for fire alarm circuits (1305.003(a)(12)). The fire alarm license from the State Fire Marshal (TDI) was not checked: site unreachable 2026-10-03.
B 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).
Experience
A Most common related work experience: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (O*NET: 41%).
B Most common related work experience: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET: 29%).
Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5
You likely have: 6
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Coordination
To build: 0
Make this your goal
Save Fire Alarm Technician to Fiber Optic Technician 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. Free with an account.
Share your route
One number, the route and its gate go on the card; nothing about you. Your device's dark mode picks the dark card.
Save routes and track your hours with ET Member. Saved routes, your gap plan and alerts when pay, license rules or exams change.
