Compare A Structured Cabling Technician ↔ B Infrastructure Engineer

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Your route

3 moves

No pay difference shown for this route: infrastructure Engineer: OEWS pay for an 'All Other' group; not specific to this occupation.

Gates on this route

Move 1, to Fiber Optic Technician: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Move 2, to Telecommunications Systems Engineer: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Move 3, to Infrastructure Engineer: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).

Move 1 Transfer move to the side
Structured Cabling Technician to Fiber Optic Technician
- Same O*NET occupation (49-9052.00 Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers): O*NET lists both job titles under it; same tasks and skills data.
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Move 2 Transfer move to the side
Fiber Optic Technician to Telecommunications Systems Engineer
- O*NET lists Telecommunications Engineering Specialists as a related occupation (Supplemental); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.80 (O*NET related occupation beyond the 6 drawn laterals).
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
Move 3 Transfer move to the side
Telecommunications Systems Engineer to Infrastructure Engineer
- O*NET lists Computer Systems Engineers/Architects as a related occupation (Primary-Short); skills and knowledge profile similarity r = 0.81.
- Gates checked: no degree, license or hours gate found (O*NET 31.0 and the licensing agencies checked for this job).
- Skills to build: Programming, Science, Operations Analysis

Side by side

More than 40 hours a week: Infrastructure Engineer 41%, Structured Cabling Technician 30%.

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

$75,740no difference shown$111,530

OEWS pay for an 'All Other' group; not specific to this occupation.

Outlook 2024 to 2034 whole occupation

A +4.3% Texas, 810 openings a year

B +21.9% Texas, 4,710 openings a year

Over 40 h a week

30%+11 pts41%

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

3.5 / 5-1.81.7 / 5

Outdoors, all weather-3.33Outdoors, all weather: A 4.95, B 1.62
Very hot or cold-3.13Very hot or cold: A 4.43, B 1.3
Hazardous equipment-2.25Hazardous equipment: A 3.68, B 1.43
High places-1.98High places: A 3.48, B 1.5
Climbing ladders-1.81Climbing ladders: A 3.26, B 1.45

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: 27% 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 No license for this job title at the 8 Texas and federal licensing agencies read on 2026-10-03 (TDLR, TSBPE, TCEQ, TCFP, TEA, TBPELS, NRC and EPA).

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 1 year, up to and including 2 years (O*NET: 27%).

Skills O*NET importance, 1 to 5

You likely have: 6

Quality Control Analysis
Coordination
Operations Monitoring
Service Orientation
Social Perceptiveness
Time Management

To build: 6

Programming +2.12
Operations Analysis +1.87
Systems Evaluation +1.76
Systems Analysis +1.63
Science +1.62
Writing +1.38

Make this your goal

Save Structured Cabling Technician to Infrastructure Engineer 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.