>>1106191Independent contractor, netops.
Wouldn't want it to be a full-time job, i'm sure the fun would die out real quick if it's all I did every day.
>Plus I'd probably have to deal with subscriber radios and fleet management... customers suckI'm exclusively two-way and paging - don't deal at all on the cellular or broadcast side other than a few colo'd sites. If you're in it for the money, you'll want to get into cellular or broadcast. And they're both really political industries.
Modern digital systems all ride on IP. Whether the backhaul's point-to-point microwave or VPN through public internet, once the radio "data" (whether it's digital voice traffic or actual data (telemetry, text-messaging, etc)) is in the site it's handled and routed as IP traffic.
Learn networking - routing, switching, OSPF, infrastructure best-practices, Erlang function/capacity planning.
On the electrical side... RF theory, propagation, grounding/shielding, AC- and DC-distribution, battery management.
Mechanical ... basic equipment assembly/maintenance, cable routing/management... statics: wind/ice loads for antennas and towers.
Personally ... decent vehicle, "muh survival skills" for varying wx conditions, in shape enough to climb towers and work at height and at elevation. "Thinking safe" is important.
Politically ... Sometimes it's commercial/business jobs that are focused on the bottom line, other times it's government/public-safety with their own agenda and attitudes. Never turn down a contract, but make it worth your time over whatever else you're doing.
>tfw quoting $300/hour plus mileage to change a lightbulb>and they still go with my quote because "they know i'll do good work compared to the other guys"A lot of the full-timers in the business own their own company, because it's the only way to make a living in the business.
Certifications and industry reputation are what's going to make or break the deals, vs. having an engineering degree.
