As people increasingly look to trade jobs in pursuit of more financial stability (without debilitating debt), one role worth considering is the broadband technician, according to Keith Busby.
An industry veteran with over two decades of experience, Busby has watched telecom technology evolve from the dial-up days to the fiber-optic frenzy that has become the bedrock of modern internet today.
Through that evolution, he has seen firsthand how crucial adaptability is in the field.
“The technology changes, the equipment's changing, the testing equipment is changing. You have to be open to that,” he advised while sitting down with us for an interview. “If you don't like change, [broadband] is probably not for you.”
But for those ready to adapt to the evolving ecosystem and eager to solve hands-on problems, he believes the position offers more than a simple summer job.
“I raised five kids on this. So, it is a difference between a job and a career,” he said. “If you get a good opportunity in this field, give it your best because it'll take care of you. I’ve lived a comfortable life, and I'm thankful.”
Finding the right broadband ‘silo’
Currently a service technician for AT&T, Busby largely works on fiber installation, maintenance and splicing. But he has handled a long line of technologies dating back to the early days of digital subscriber lines (DSL).
“I did it all,” he recalled — calling his technician crew in those days the one-stop-shop “geek squad” for all internet problems.
With such a wide-ranging experience in the industry, one of Busby’s biggest recommendations for people considering careers in broadband: do some early research on what area or “silo” most interests you.
“When you come in the door, if you don't know which silo you want to go to, then, well, the company is going to send you to the silos that they need people in, you know? And that may not be what you signed up for,” he explained. “That’s where upfront education is very important.”
Especially for factors like being outdoors, as many of the roles in the space (but not all) require being outside.
“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,” he explained 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.
But like many folks in his field, Busby has always had a pride in the trade that has kept him up for the challenge. And the people they keep connected are grateful.
“People come out, and they're just happy to see you, happy to know that you're out there working and that you're hooking their services back up,” he reflected — some going so far as to offer food, money and random gifts of gratitude.
“It’s nice to know that you’re appreciated... the negative side of that is sometimes they might be outside talking to you, and it’s 10 o'clock at night. You’re still working and you’re like, ‘Ma'am, I appreciate that, but if you could go on back inside so I can finish my work, I'm ready to go home,'” he said, chuckling ruefully.
'A union is a bond’
For Busby, a big part of what has kept him around in the industry is having a unionized position through the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
“You have the means to make something that the company may want to pay you as a job, a career,” he argued, saying that in many cases, companies elect profits over investment in employees. Or, when the support is there, sustaining it becomes an issue without a protocol of transparency and accountability.
“What people don’t understand outside of a union is that a union is a bond. And I think the income and the benefits allow it to become a career.”
While on a surface level, a big union benefit is having a well-defined trajectory for pay raises and PTO packages, it also sets up “clear rules of engagement.” This means having contractual protection in place for anything from a workplace disagreement all the way to unfair treatment from a manager.
Busby also clarified that these protections aren’t in place for employees to abuse. “We police our own in most effective unions,” he explained. “When I first started, if you did some shoddy work” and someone ended up having to fix it, “the next day... it was on your desk: don’t do this again.”
This support structure builds thorough, skilled workers, who can keep evolving with the technology of the time — and that is a big part of the job, according to Busby.
He called to mind the countless times throughout the years when a new technology was dropped at his disk. “Here’s a new piece of equipment, figure it out,” he recollected in laughter. While you may be sent to training, you won’t get handed the play-by-play on how it all works, he added.
This is another reason why having people there who are invested in your growth goes such a long way, voiced Busby. “With the union, you say: we are family, and we deserve to be treated as such.”
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