Being a cable guy sucks....Service Technician Level 2 Job

[admin]

I am what the general public refers to as a "Cable Guy". My actual title is "Service Technician Level 2". Anyways, how would you like to wake up each day thinking it might be your last? Consider this: I work 90% aerially, with ladders on poles. My job is ranked as the 5th most dangerous in the world. I am as safe as I can be with my ladder, but some poles (especially in the winter and covered with ice) are downright dangerous. I only gaff when I have to (use metal spikes to climb poles), and that's even scarier. It's not really about being afraid of heights at this point, it's all about trusting your equipment, which most of the time I don't.

Let's not forget about the unsanitary and unsafe conditions in peoples houses and crawl spaces. Sewer leak? You could of told me about that before I went under there? duh.

I don't smoke, but with as much second hand Cigarette smoke I breath, I wouldn't be surprised if I don't get lung cancer.

Alot of the people I work with are intelligent, but most don't seem to really understand technology, especially when it comes to computers. So I can't really relate to them.

I also work an obscene amount of overtime. Somedays my idiot boss gives me 4 jobs, other days I get 50. I might get home at 5'o clock, I might get home at midnight. No real solidity there.

Don't get me wrong, there are things I DO enjoy about the job (being out in the field, free cable, company vehicle, benefits), but risking my life everyday is getting so old.

[satguy]

Ok buddy I hear what ur sayin and I find myself in the same situations all the time. (Pulling cable through sewers and asbestos filled attics, and always being one slip away from getting fried by power lines or falling to my death).

BUT, sat techs have to install a dish at every new customer, usually on an iced over roof, assemble the dish in their driveway in deadly cold weather, which takes 2 hours at the very least. After attaching the dish to the customer's home the dish has to be aligned with the satellite which tends to be a bitch. AND instead of running 1 wire from a distribution tap that splits to each room like you guys, I have to run lines from each receiver in each room to the dish. NO splitters can be used. It doesn't end there. Since dish network is having their technicians do all their work for free, they've introduced a "dual tuner" receiver that operates 2 tv's from one box. I have to run another wire from that receiver to the other room that the customer wants hooked up.