Switchboard Operator Job Description - Career Path

Switchboard Operator Job Description

An Switchboard operator is a telecommunications professional whose primary job is to answer incoming calls and forward them to a company or organisation.

So what does an operator do?

Switchboard operators are responsible for operating the switchboards. You receive incoming calls from outside the company and answer them promptly and professionally, kindly and politely.

Sometimes an operator has to follow a specific guideline for a company's answering machine. When answering the phone, the operator must quickly evaluate and identify the type of call, provide all the information requested, and forward the call to the person or department concerned.

If it is not immediately clear to whom the call is to be forwarded to, an operator should ask the caller for further information in order to determine the most suitable recipient of the call. For example, when a customer requests an order, the operator decides whether to forward the call to the logistics and shipping department or to customer service.

If for some reason it is not possible to transfer a call (e.g. the requested person is absent or unavailable), an operator can answer a short message - e.g. Write down the name, last name, and phone number of the caller, and the reason they are calling, and share this information with the appropriate department or person.

But that's not all:

Other important tasks for an operator are keeping a log of calls made and made during the day (today, of course, this is increasingly done using a computer) and updating the company's internal phone directory to ensure that it contains the correct phone numbers from different departments and employees. You may also need to record voicemail messages on the company's main phone line, e.g. B. the opening times of a doctor's office or the closing dates of a vacation office.

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The 10 Highest Paid Engineering Jobs

If you want to pursue an engineering career, you don't have to look too hard to get inspired. This morning, in the subway, he went to work, the machine that made his coffee with milk in the morning, the building where he is sitting and the computer on which he is reading it. Everything around it is designed, built and maintained by engineers. In an industrial and technologically advanced world, there is likely to be an industry and discipline that does justice to all. Regardless of the industry, the general objective of engineering is the same: to develop innovations and solutions to the ever changing problems of society, no matter how big or small. As a result, engineering is one of the fastest growing and highest paid jobs in the world. If you are a graduate, trainee or experienced employee, there is a large selection of areas. To help, we have prepared a practical list of the highest paying engineering jobs . So read on and find out where your skills can best be used!

10. civil engineer

Average salary: $ 83,540 (£ 63,570) (higher for university staff) In addition to military engineering, this is the oldest engineering discipline in the world and deals with the construction and maintenance of the built and natural environment. Therefore, civil engineering is generally divided into the following sub-areas:

Structural: probably the best known type of civil engineering. It includes structural planning and analysis of buildings, bridges, towers, tunnels, overpasses, offshore structures and other man-made projects.

Build: deals with the planning and logistics of construction and construction work and is more business oriented.

Environment: Covers sanitary engineering, including hazardous waste disposal and environmental remediation work.

Transport: involves the planning, monitoring and construction of traffic routes, including roads, highways, rail systems, canals, airports, ports and public transport systems.

Coasts: Similar to water resource technology (which focuses more on the management of inland waters such as dams), coastal technology deals with erosion and water protection, particularly in vulnerable areas such as the Netherlands and the southern US UU.

Although these are the most well-known areas, there are many other sub-areas including urban planning, topography, plant engineering, earthquake engineering and forensics. Civil engineers have a very exclusive range of skills and, due to their commercial nature, are often employees of renowned global companies such as Aecom, Balfour Beatty and Laing O'Rourke.

9. Mechanical engineer

Average salary: $ 84,190 (£ 64,060) Mechanical engineering is a very broad discipline and essentially the design and maintenance of everything that consists of moving parts. It requires a deep understanding and understanding of the following key areas:

mechanics

dynamic and thermodynamic

material sciences

structural analysis

electricity

It is the most common technical area and as such can be used in all industries and areas in projects and companies of all shapes and sizes. As a result, mechanical engineers are very busy with factories or manufacturing facilities in almost every large organization.

8. Industrial engineer

Average salary: $ 84,310 (£ 64,150) In a world where companies constantly strive to optimize production and manufacturing costs, avoid waste and meet environmental requirements, industrial engineers can be worth their weight in gold. With the task of finding and implementing solutions to these problems, they combine data analysis with practical knowledge and knowledge of local practices and integrate machines, people, materials and information into their processes. Therefore, they must have experience in dealing with people and in mechanical matters.

7. biomedical engineer

Average salary: $ 85,620 (£ 65,150) Biomedical engineering is seen as a bridge between medicine and conventional technology. Advances in life sciences are being used to develop machines and tools that can be used to diagnose, control and treat diseases and injuries. Many large Biomed companies such as Johnson & Johnson and the medical areas of Siemens and GE compete in this lucrative market. There are also biomedical roles in the NHS in the United Kingdom.

6. electrical engineer

Average salary: $ 96,270 (£ 73,250) It is not surprising that electrical engineers are experts in electrical engineering and use their experience in a variety of industries, roles and locations. They may be responsible for the planning and operation of power plants, the development of commercial products or the planning and implementation of control systems. Basically, it is likely that an electrical engineer has something to do with this if it is an AC source. As a result, electrical engineers can be used in almost any industry and, as technology advances, they work and earn.

5. chemical engineer

Average salary: $ 98,340 (£ 74,830) While science and research are in high demand, chemical engineers generally work for retailers who want to convert chemicals, materials and energy sources into usable products such as plastics and other plastics. In addition to traditional engineering skills, such as science and mathematics, the commercial nature of this work also requires commercial knowledge. There are many large multinational companies that specialize in chemical engineering, including BASF, DowDuPont and Sinopec.

4. Software engineer

Average salary: $ 100,080 (£ 76,160) Software engineers write, test, implement, and update the software code used by computers, applications, and other digital platforms. It is therefore important to have excellent programming skills and the ability to solve problems. As we evolve in the digital age, the number of software developers increases from year to year and is expected to be one of the most common and important tasks in the near future. Although every company that manages its own databases needs software engineers, they form the core of the workforce of many innovative technology giants like Apple, Google and Facebook.

3. Computer technician / hardware

Average salary: $ 102,280 (£ 77,830) Hardware engineering (not to be confused with software engineering) is a combination of electrical and computer engineering and is used to manufacture the components used in computers, network systems, and other commercial products. With the increasing digitization of our world, computer technology is becoming a coveted and highly valued profession. As an added benefit, many of the companies looking for these skills, such as Dell, Intel and Microsoft, are often referred to as the best companies they can work for.

2. Aerospace engineer

Average salary: $ 109,650 (£ 83,440) Aerospace engineering deals with the development and maintenance of aircraft (aviation) or spacecraft (astronautics). Due to its complexity (in the truest sense of the word rocket science), it disintegrates in general and is divided into other technical sub-disciplines such as avionics, aerodynamics and propulsion technology. Most major aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus offer jobs directly, but it is also possible to work for certain companies like GE or Rolls-Royce (which make the engines). Many engineers also choose a career with NASA in the United States or the European Space Agency (ESA) in the United Kingdom.

1. Petroleum Engineer

Average salary: $ 128,230 (GBP 97,580) The discovery and extraction of natural oil resources may be the most lucrative company in the world. And in such a high-income industry, energy companies rely primarily on the knowledge of petroleum engineers, experts in the physical behavior of water, oil and gas, to begin with. Your knowledge can identify and assess the suitability of potential drilling sites. As a result, oil engineers are well compensated for the global energy companies they hired, such as Sinopec, ExxonMobil and Gazprom.

As you can see, engineering careers are extremely diverse and offer the opportunity to work in some fascinating areas and really change our lives. They are also paid very well, especially in the areas of energy and IT, on which society is increasingly dependent.

Most In-Demand Engineering Jobs for 2020

If you choose a career, it is very difficult to know whether the chosen industry continues to grow, become saturated, or even become superfluous. It is clear that the trend is towards information technology and automation and this will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. Traditional areas such as deep and petroleum technology are still in high demand, but the fastest growing areas are those in the IT area. This article aims to list some of the most demanding engineering field in future and show the highest salary potential for 2020 and beyond.

1. Data Science and Machine Learning

Software development has grown steadily in recent years and there are no signs of stopping. Data science is a field of software engineering in which meaningful information is created from large amounts of data. These large amounts of data are referred to as large amounts of data and can come from different sources, e.g. B. from electronic commerce, the medical sector or the financial sector. Statistics and software engineering are used in this area to collect, analyze and display data so that the end user can optimize their specific services. A simple example of this is using data about which products are best sold at a particular time of year to create certain marketing campaigns.

Machine learning is a subset of data science that is used to make predictions about what might happen in the future based on past data. Machine learning algorithms make predictions, test whether these predictions are correct, and then optimize the algorithm to improve the accuracy of the prediction in the future. The more different the available data volume, the better the predictions. A bachelor's degree is not always required to start a career in data science, as there are several short courses that cover the required subjects. However, it is important to take into account that a solid background is required in both mathematics and coding.

- Average starting salary: $ 89,000

- Average mid-level salary: $ 107,000

- Average late career salary: $ 120,000

2. Automation and robotics engineer.

Robotic systems can now perform repetitive tasks that do not require the skill and attention to detail of a human worker. However, with the constant advances in computers, energy storage and materials, robots are beginning to move from welding and assembly robots with just one arm to complex humanoid machines. An amazing example of this is the Boston Dynamics robot. A robotics engineer participates in all aspects of the design, development, testing and implementation of robot systems. Robotics engineers are usually mechanical, electronic or mechatronic. When we approach an automated world, the only safe jobs are automation.

- Initial average salary: $ 77,000

- Average mid-level salary: $ 92,000

- Average late career salary:  $ 99,000

3. Petroleum Engineer

Petroleum engineers generally work on drilling methods, the design of the drilling platform and the implementation and monitoring of the drilling plan for oil production. Petroleum technology has been in demand for several years and will continue to grow in the next ten years. Despite efforts to develop electric vehicles and clean energy, oil is a high priority, as it is used in many different industries. Many oil engineers are expected to retire in the coming years, so new engineers will find employment. Of course, it is a moral dilemma to enter the oil industry when we observe the growing environmental crisis we face. This must be taken into account when looking for work.

- Initial average salary: $ 97,000

- Average mid-level salary: $ 120,000

- Average late career salary: $ 140,000

4. Civil engineering.

Civil engineering was a requested profession in 2018, and this trend will continue in 2019. Civil engineers build the infrastructure on which the world depends. There are several sectors of civil engineering that hinder market saturation, which makes it a great area of ​​specialization. The main areas of civil engineering include: civil engineering, environmental technology, road and highway construction and traffic engineering.

- Initial average salary: $ 59,000

- Average mid-level salary: $ 72,000

- Average late career salary: $ 96,000

5. Electrical engineering.

Electrical engineering is another traditional technique that is still needed. Electrical engineering is a very broad field that encompasses energy technology, measurement technology and electrical engineering. Due to the diverse career opportunities in electrical engineering, there will probably always be vacancies.

- Average starting salary: $ 67,000

- Average mid-level salary: $ 82,000

- Average late career salary:  $ 96,000

6. Alternative energy engineer.

Due to the increasing pressure on the planet due to climate change, there was international impetus for clean and renewable energies. For example, the demand for solar technology has increased dramatically, which has resulted in lower module costs. This creates a feedback cycle that drives demand even more. There is no doubt that alternative clean energy is the future. Although coal-fired power plants still make up the majority of global energy production, their growth has stagnated as alternative energy sources have grown. An energy engineer must have at least a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. From this moment, a master's degree in energy technology for the desired specialist area can further improve the job prospects.

- Average starting salary: $ 65,000

- Average mid-level salary: $ 82,000

- Average late career salary: $ 91,000

ADSL VS Optical Fiber?

Difference between ADSL and Optical Fiber?

There are considerable differences between ADSL and optical fiber , both in terms of performance and service coverage. The main factor that influences the performance of a home Internet connection is, without any doubt, the technology with which the connection is made.

Connection speed: the real distinction
Net of the various technical aspects, the one that differentiates ADSL connections from fiber optic connections more than anything else is precisely the connection speed. Both in terms of data transmission speed and latency time, a very important factor for judging the quality of the connection, they are decidedly better when navigating with a fiber optic network than an ADSL network.

FTTC and FTTH :
To date, thanks to the growing diffusion of 4G, even mobile networks guarantee performance that is clearly superior to ADSL networks with the only limitation that the connection is limited as regards traffic volumes (unlimited connections in the mobile telephony market are installments and generally very expensive).
On the Italian market there are also connections called "mixed fiber" which are generally of the "mixed copper fiber" type, also referred to as FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet) to differentiate them from fiber optic connections called FTTH (Fiber to the Home) which represent the absolute best type of connection for the Internet at home regarding the performance level.

Fiber, ADSL and wireless Internet
Before going into the details of the differences between ADSL and fiber, we briefly summarize the types of Internet connections available to date in the Italian fixed telephony market with precise details regarding the services guaranteed to users.

• FTTH fiber (Fiber to the Home): this technology requires that all the connection is made with fiber optic cables that reach the user's home; today this technology is able to guarantee a maximum speed of 1000 Mbps in download and 100 Mbps in upload; the coverage of this technology is still limited even if it is constantly growing;
• FTTC copper mixed fiber (Fiber to the Cabinet): this technology represents an intermediate solution between the optical fiber and the ADSL; only part of the connection is made of optical fiber while the last section is made with traditional copper cables; as regards performance, the FTTC mixed fiber is able to guarantee a maximum speed of 200 Mega in download and 20 Mega in upload; the coverage is significantly greater than that guaranteed by the FTTH fiber but less than that guaranteed by the ADSL;
• ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line): widespread for many years, ADSL technology has excellent coverage of the national territory but offers very limited performance in terms of browsing speed; an ADSL connection can reach, at most, a speed of 20 Mega in download and 1 Mega in upload but the real performances tend to be, generally, much lower than the maximum values;
• Wireless internet: in all areas where there is no FTTH fiber coverage and FTTC mixed fiber coverage and ADSL is not available or offers limited performance, it is possible to focus on various wireless Internet technologies such as satellite Internet, which uses a satellite connection to access the Internet, or the mixed fiber radio solutions that use a radio connection with a repeater connected to the optical fiber; the performance of wireless Internet connections depends on the technology with which the connection is made; these technologies represent an excellent alternative for those who are not reached by the fiber optic and do not want to give up a fast and unlimited connection from home. We now see, in detail, what are the differences between ADSL connections and connections that occur over the network in optic fiber.

Connection speed: the ADSL performance
As already indicated in the previous summary, ADSL and fiber optic connections have significantly different performances. ADSL networks using the classic telephone twisted-pair cable for data transmission via copper cables. Optical fiber, on the other hand, is a completely different technology and provides an integral connection that does not use the obsolete telephone data transmission network. The main difference between ADSL connections and fiber optic connections is, therefore, represented by the connection speed. As previously seen, in fact, an ADSL network can reach a maximum speed of 20 Mega in download and 1 Mega in upload. These "nominal" values ​​are rarely reached by ADSL connections which are strongly influenced, in negative, by various factors such as, for example, the distance from the roadside unit that covers the area where the user's line is located.
In most cases, in fact, an ADSL connection has significantly lower speed values ​​than the maximum values ​​achievable using this particular technology. As a result, the actual quality of the connection will, in most cases, be very poor especially when the upload speed, which is already limited to just 1 Mega maximum, will be extremely low.

The speed of optical fiber
As for the FTTH optical fiber , however, the situation is reversed. As previously seen, in fact, the maximum connection speed can reach a value of 1000 Mega in download and 100 Mega in upload. These are very high values ​​that allow you to get a really good Internet connection for any activity.
 

Optical fiber and streaming
With fiber optics, for example, there will be no problems of any kind to stream 4K content that usually requires a dedicated band of just over 20 Mega for each stream. Thanks to the enormous band available, the optical fiber also guarantees excellent multi-user use. A family that has an FTTH connection at home will have no problem using the Internet at home even, for example, connecting different devices at the same time.
 

Optical fiber and upload speed
Even the high upload speed guarantees a net upgrade of the connection. The user will be able to send a large number of data in a very short time, making different tasks, such as sharing a file or uploading photos and videos online, definitely faster. With an ADSL network try to load a heavy file or a large number of photos and videos is almost impossible due to the limited performance of the connection. Clearly, the connections that take place with FTTC technology have intermediate performance between the FTTH and the ADSL resulting in any case excellent solutions compared to the obsolete ADSL connections.
 

ADSL vs fiber: costs
Despite the enormous performance differences between these two technologies, the costs of an ADSL connection are quite similar to the costs of an FTTH fiber or FTTC mixed fiber connection. Telephone operators in Italy have, for some time, adjusted their price lists by proposing tariff solutions that do not take into account the technology used to connect significantly.
In most cases, in fact, telephone operators offer very similar rates with the user who has the possibility to activate the subscription by using the best technology available at his home address. In several cases, moreover, the providers make it possible to carry out the change of technology, for example by switching from ADSL to FTTH fiber, in the event that there should be an improvement in the coverage in the area of ​​residence of the user.
As regards costs, therefore, the differences between ADSL and optical fiber are very limited or even absent. Furthermore, it may happen that operators offer more advantageous promotional rates for those who are reached by fiber-optic than ADSL thanks to the possibility of combining additional services such as, for example, access to streaming platforms to the Internet home subscription. on demand that would be limited with an ADSL network.
In general, therefore, when choosing a new Internet connection at home it is essential to proceed with the verification of coverage in order to be able to evaluate which technologies are available at the address where the line will be activated. If available, the FTTH optical fiber, but also the FTTC mixed fiber, represents a considerably better solution compared to the ADSL network which now offers performance well below the acceptable minimum. For this reason, all users reached by ADSL must periodically check the availability of FTTH optical fiber or FTTC mixed fiber in order to be able to pass from the obsolete ADSL to a new generation technology capable of guaranteeing significantly higher performance.