Technician tips: broadband technician's share best practices of the trade

Learning on the job is expected when it comes to this work, but if there isn’t a balance of traditional learning — be it through certifications or employer training — it can lead to developing bad habits that will inevitably cause problems 'down the line.'

“If you’re learning shortcuts to begin with, you’re really doing yourself a disservice. Then you’re gonna have to unlearn something,” said broadband technician Nick Hoh. “Because there’s a lot of ways to get things working. Whether it stays working for a week or a month after you leave, that’s the other thing. Best to know more by the book than less.” 

While knowing more by the ever-evolving book will build your resources for problem solving, the real-world scenarios will be a beast of its own. Britni Cuington, another installation technician, explained that educational settings present “perfect-world scenarios." This often needs to be the case for actually monitoring retention. But they don't accurately reflect the situations of the job.

This is why it is best paired with on-the-job or field training. Apprenticeships and shadowing allow you to see “that customer facing aspect of it, on top of the problem solving that you automatically have to do with the job," said Cuington.

Many technicians will tell you that a big quality (and often a favorite aspect) of the trade is the hands-on problem solving that presents itself in new ways every day on the job. 

There’s the physicality of it, the climbing telephone poles and ladders and stuff like that. And then there’s that mental challenge of trying to troubleshoot and repair from there," said Nick Hoh. "It’s kind of like a puzzle”

Whether you're in a Minnesota winter or an Arizona summer, you're expected to take on those mental and physical challenges.  

“I think the misconception is: okay, now you got the job, you step outside, and you go out and report your first cut. It's 97 degrees outside,” technician Keith Busby said breaking down in laughter. While in some instances, you may have a trailer to “make everything look nice and pretty,” that’s not often the case.  

“The real-life atmosphere, I think that’s your first challenge,” assessed Busby.  

As a final tip: don't forget to lean on your team. While the job can often be a highly independent one, technicians tend to agree that the camaraderie is a rewarding and integral aspect to a day's work. 

Keith Busby explained that even on days where you've finished your sites early, “before you went back, you called to make sure everyone is ok... You wanted to make sure everyone came home at the same time.”

Especially during natural disasters like Hurricane Helene and Milton, the technicians have each others' backs.

AT&T’s Network Disaster Recovery team leader, Travis Profitt, explained to us that in responding to Hurricane Helene, techs flew in from all over the country to help. "We have an incredible team who always comes together during times like these. Everyone pulls their weight, and that sense of unity in teamwork is fulfilling."

“Responding during a crisis like Helene is both incredibly challenging and rewarding,” said Profitt. “It’s these moments that remind us why we do what we do.”