Telecommunications Engineer
What the work is
Plans, designs, develops and monitors telecommunication systems, networks, devices and broadcasting equipment.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Designs and develops telecommunications products, systems and networks
- Monitors and maintains the performance of complex telecommunication products, networks and systems
- Tests and evaluates telecommunications products, systems and networks to ensure functionality, performance and emergency contingency planning
- Provides technical support and troubleshooting for telecommunication products, systems and networks
- Develops and implements system and network security measures, and ensures compliance with regulations and legislation
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a telecommunications design office, with regular trips to towers, exchanges and country sites. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A town that had patchy coverage finally gets a clear signal because of your design
- A complicated plan comes together on paper and then works in the field
- A crew on site says your drawings were the clearest they had worked from
Hard days
- A storm takes out a link and a whole town is cut off from calls and the internet
- A landowner or neighbours do not want a new tower, and you have to listen anyway
- A deadline is set by a contract, and the ground has other ideas
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 272331, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.