Fiber splicing can be an exceptionally lucrative trade with very low barriers to entry — but it's not a clock-in clock-out route to six figures, according to Dillon Ferguson.
“I was in Michigan, I was driving a snowmobile with a splicing lab behind it to get to where I needed to go to get the job done,” he recalled — not for a stunt, just a Tuesday as a splicing contractor. He's been in the industry since he was five years old, watching his dad splice copper.
Ferguson took first place this year in Florida at the OpTIC Path Rodeo — a national competition gathering some of the country’s most skilled field technicians.
"I would say it's a great industry for anybody who wants to live an adventurous lifestyle,” he told Broadband Nation just after winning the competition. “There's travel, there's a lot of dedication. You go to places, you know, it's not everybody's backyard.”
For new techs or people seeking the life Ferguson described, here are six tips distilled from the conversation:
1. Find a mentor who teaches the "why," not just the "how"
While it’s an important process to learning the scope of the work, Ferguson doesn't put much stock in a finished training program alone.
"Don't come in thinking you're great," he said. "You know the fundamentals now, but you need to get out there and actually start working."
The right employer, in his view, shows patience and context for what makes it all light up in the first place. "They stick you with the guy who's been putting that case together for years... shows you how the fiber works. That's the guy you look for."
The alternative — a boss who just says "here's how you put it together, now go do it" — isn't worth the paycheck, according to Ferguson. "You want the person that's wanting to take the time to invest in you."
2. Get well-rounded before specializing
Ferguson credits much of his competition edge to refusing to stay a specialist. Copper, fiber, data centers, outside plant — he’s done it all.
"[Employers] need more of that rounded tech," he said, "because once you're in the field, nothing's lab set." A technician who's only ever done one type of job "doesn't know about the outside plant stuff," he explained. Those blind spots show the moment something unfamiliar comes up on-site.
3. Watch for deadline-obsessed employers
"If they're talking deadlines and in a hurry, and you got to do three [or] five locations a day, don't work for that guy," advised Ferguson.
In his experience, that mindset trains people to move fast, make mistakes and not properly understand what they're building. "I can teach anybody how to put a case together. But do you know how that case works? And if I give you a different one, can you figure it out?"
4. Weigh contracting vs. in-house honestly
Working as a tech can mean working in-house steadily for a single employer, but there are also a lot of high-paying opportunities for skilled contractors. From Ferguson’s vantage point, contracting is "more rewarding." But it requires a discipline: setting aside 25-30% for taxes, being able to seek out the work proactively and absorbing slow weeks without panicking
"If you can't do that, or don't want to," he said, "then you need to work for an hourly company."
5. Expect the lifestyle, not just the paycheck
Ferguson’s flashback to zipping through the snow with a splicer says it all: the job isn't easily left at the door if you want to make good money.
"You have to be willing to take that phone call at midnight," Ferguson said. When a major line goes down and a city loses service, “if you can't handle that with a level head, might not be the industry for you."
But being the person who does take that call, “it's an adventure,” he added. “Sometimes it's hard, you know, sometimes it's uncomfortable. Sometimes it's not always like this fun adventure, but it's an adventure, and you get to see a lot of things and learn a lot of new things and meet people."
6. Remember who the job is actually for
Ferguson returns often to a simple focal point — the people he's connecting. "If you do your job right and the network holds up, guess who doesn't lose service? The customer," he said. After all, "they're footing the bill."
Working at a bigger company, because of what he found to be the quality standard, he recalled “the customer continually suffered” — one of a few reasons he went into the contracting side.
It's a standard he carries into how he trains his own crew now — leaving a closure clean enough that the next technician can open it up and know exactly what was done. "Build the network right from the get-go," he said, "and you won't have problems."
Interested in exploring job opportunities within the industry? Check out Broadband Nation's jobs board, training portal and Learning Center.