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Telecommunications Engineering Specialists in South Dakota

Want to work as a Telecommunications Engineering Specialists in South Dakota? Here’s what you need to know. Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks. Perform network modeling, analysis, and planning, including analysis of capacity needs for network infrastructures. May also design network and computer security measures. May research and recommend network and data communications hardware and software. Excludes “Information Security Analysts” (15-1212), “Computer Network Support Specialists” (15-1231), and “Network and Computer Systems Administrators” (15-1244).

What do Telecommunications Engineering Specialists Make in South Dakota?

For a telecommunications engineering specialists working in South Dakota, the typical annual salary is $149,300 per year (or roughly $71.78/hour).Annual wages span from $103,660 at the 10th percentile to $203,500 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$103,660	$49.84
25th percentile	$129,010	$62.03
Median (50th)	$149,300	$71.78
75th percentile	$167,020	$80.30
90th percentile	$203,500	$97.84

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in South Dakota relative to the national average — is 1.12, meaning that telecommunications engineering specialists are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, telecommunications engineering specialists earn a median of $117,478 per year ($56.48/hour), higher than the South Dakota median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 229,448 telecommunications engineering specialists in the U.S.. In South Dakota alone, approximately 580 people work in this role. That’s fewer than the typical state, which employs around 1,690 telecommunications engineering specialists.

Top South Dakota Metros for Telecommunications Engineering Specialists

The largest metro-area employers of telecommunications engineering specialists in South Dakota.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Sioux Falls, SD-MN	340	$144,160

Top States for Telecommunications Engineering Specialists Employment

View the states that employ the most telecommunications engineering specialists work.

State	Number Employed
California	19,800
Texas	16,160
Colorado	12,720
Virginia	9,340
New York	9,180
Florida	8,690
North Carolina	7,440
Illinois	6,450
New Jersey	6,440
Georgia	5,980
Pennsylvania	5,470
Ohio	5,350
Massachusetts	5,340
Maryland	5,320
Washington	4,450
Arizona	4,340
Tennessee	4,320
Alabama	3,610
Michigan	3,040
Missouri	2,650

Highest-Paying States for Telecommunications Engineering Specialists

Where telecommunications engineering specialists earn the most: telecommunications engineering specialists.

State	Annual Median Salary
Washington	$155,890
South Dakota	$149,300
Virginia	$148,080
New Jersey	$147,650
Maryland	$143,260
District of Columbia	$140,050
California	$138,350
Massachusetts	$136,930
New York	$136,230
Colorado	$134,680

Skills

Key telecommunications engineering specialists skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for telecommunications engineering specialists, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

• Consult with users, administrators, and engineers to identify business and technical requirements for proposed system modifications or technology purchases.
• Implement system renovation projects in collaboration with technical staff, engineering consultants, installers, and vendors.
• Keep abreast of changes in industry practices and emerging telecommunications technology by reviewing current literature, talking with colleagues, participating in educational programs, attending meetings or workshops, or participating in professional organizations or conferences.
• Review and evaluate requests from engineers, managers, and technicians for system modifications.
• Assess existing facilities' needs for new or modified telecommunications systems.
• Develop, maintain, or implement telecommunications disaster recovery plans to ensure business continuity.
• Communicate with telecommunications vendors to obtain pricing and technical specifications for available hardware, software, or services.
• Inspect sites to determine physical configuration, such as device locations and conduit pathways.
• Document procedures for hardware and software installation and use.
• Install, or coordinate installation of, new or modified hardware, software, or programming modules of telecommunications systems.
• Instruct in use of voice, video, and data communications systems.
• Implement or perform preventive maintenance, backup, or recovery procedures.

Work Activities

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Working with Computers
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Getting Information
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Processing Information
• Analyzing Data or Information
• Scheduling Work and Activities
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Apache Kafka, Autodesk AutoCAD, Linux In-demand technologies: Autodesk AutoCAD

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

• Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services — 7 programs across 4 majors

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Related Careers

Careers similar to telecommunications engineering specialists include:

• Computer and Information Systems Managers
• Computer Systems Analysts
• Information Security Analysts
• Computer Network Support Specialists
• Computer User Support Specialists
• Computer Network Architects

Also Known As

Communications Analyst, Communications Engineer, Communications Network Engineer, Communications Systems Engineer, Electrical Design Engineer, Engineer, Field Engineer, Infrastructure Engineer, Messaging Engineer, Multimedia Telecommunications Systems Integrator, Network Engineer, Outside Plant Engineer (OSP Engineer), Outside Plant Planning and Engineering Design Manager (OSP Planning and Engineering Design Manager), Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD), Telecommunication Design Analyst (Telecom Design Analyst).

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 15-1241.01