Despite low unemployment rates, today’s college grads aren’t grazing on a lush array of job prospects. Instead, they’re competing for fewer openings and face slowed hiring predictions within several industries.
While more folks look to trade industries for stable incomes and careers, many of those sectors still struggle to get the number of people they need. And the concoction of current workforces aging out, misconceptions, stigmas and stagnant hiring practices make it a tough nut to crack.
When it comes to many of these issues —particularly that of industry perception — broadband is no exception.
Fernando Roman, a current broadband technician, recalled many people looking down on him when he decided to drop out of college. But he built a career that has supported a five-children household. Of course it was not without serious work, as he has put in many 50-60+ hour weeks throughout his career.
For years, he worked across several manual-labor industries — from laying concrete to UPS work. “In these other industries, it was just a job. Well, I went into this career, and everyone took it really seriously," he explained to us on entering the broadband industry, thanks to an uncle working for US West who “took a chance” on him.
While Roman was entering a different labor market than what we see today, many of the major concerns — like pay stability and childcare — are persistent topics of discussion.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently emphasized that while access to affordable, quality childcare has been a longtime issue, the pandemic greatly exacerbated it. Transparent wages, raises and resources aren’t just important when taking care of a family — they’re life altering.
“I do come from a union family. But like many of us, I didn't understand what that meant. I just knew that they provided a little bit better wage than what I was used to," he said, but transitioning into broadband work broke his cycle of jobs to get by.
"It was really a life-changing experience for me,” recounted Roman. “It became not just a job; it became a career.”
Bargaining committees at the Communication Workers of America (CWA) did a “phenomenal job negotiating wages and benefits for me and my family,” he said. Those negotiations supported his entire family, enabling his wife to stay at home and help raise their five kids.
“From day one, I always told [my children]: although college is good, there are also trade schools,” he shared. “Whether they’re a broadband technician like their old man or, you know, a plumber or an electrician or carpenter, college is not always the answer.”
The tech of the times
As an industry veteran, over the years Roman has helped bring everything from coax to fiber to residents across the country.
Having been in the industry since the dial-up era, he’s always been able to “play with the new technology” of the day — even if he himself didn’t have it. But that also meant playing with the new tech in all sorts of weather, from a northern Minnesota winter to a hot summer in Arizona (where he currently resides).
“But the work is great if you love working with your hands and learning new technologies,” he countered. “That was where I excelled. I didn't do so well in school, but I did very well learning and training new technicians in the broadband field.”
Not only does he train up techs, but he added that a day on the job also presents opportunities to educate the homeowners he installs the internet for — from the basic function of the technology to navigating any simple issues that may arise.
“Everyone talks about the internet, but they really don't understand how it works,” he said. “And being a technician, you provide a little bit of education to the consumer.”
Fiber is indeed the tech of the time when it comes to strong internet connectivity, and it’s about to be deployed through a lot more of the country — that means a lot of job openings with pay and benefits like Roman’s.
“Through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment grant... jobs are going to be needed,” Roman expressed. “Fiber-optic splicing jobs, installation jobs are needed across the United States. If you have experience or want to get in the industry, now's the time.”
While BEAD's fiber-focused support is being altered under the Trump administration to likely favor Elon Musk’s Starlink fleet, states are still likely to need plenty of new folks in the field. In Roman’s eyes, that means proper training will make all the difference.
“What we want to do is make sure that, with this infrastructure money, the placement and the installation is done correctly the first time. You want to make sure that our taxpayer dollars are providing something that's going to last a very long time,” he explained. “That is what consumers should be requesting from their state broadband offices: fiber-optic internet, to every resident across the United States to end this digital divide.”
Interested in exploring job opportunities in fiber optics? Check out our jobs board, training portal and Learning Center.