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want to learn about switches any recommendations 2

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victor39

Technical User
Jun 19, 2005
15
US
I know their are diffrent vendors, avya, siemens, panasonic etc...i see they give certificates for learning their stuff is this a good way to get into learning about PBX's??thanks or is their another route into this...also is their work and decent pay once this is learned?
 
It really depends on what you are going for. Usually the best way to learn is hands on, and than take your cert's as you go. I have been doing Nortel related work for a few years now, the last time I got a cert was 6 years ago. On the job experience is usually the best teacher.
Pay really depends on where you are located and what you know, and what you are responsible for.
 
A good background in Telephony is helpful.

If you don't have this background it is fairly easy to pick it up by reading the following books

Understanding Telephone Electronics
Bigelow, Carr and Winder, Newnes Publishing

The Anatomy of Telecommunications 3rd edition (Part of the ABC of the Telephone Series)
Tom Smith. AVO communications (formerly ABC teletraining)

The third title is a bit dated, and somewhat more geared towards PBX desigbners than installers, but gives a great deal of background knowlege that gives very good context:

ABC of the Telephone Volume 9: Background for telephone Switching. Reviswed 2nd edition
L. F. Goeller. AVO communications (formerly ABC teletraining).

By the way, the ABC series is very good. Soem of ity is dated, but even that is generaly useful. AVO bought them up a few years ago and most are available (if you don't see them in AVO's bookstore cal and ask).

good luck
 
Call a local telecomm reseller in your area. Use a weeks vacation from work and "volunteer" to work alongside one of their techs for that week.
There are many companies that would do this.
See if they need help after hours doing cable pulls (most companies are using contractors to do this).
Good Luck
 
almost every "phone man" started out as a cable grunt, pulling wire.

However, a great manager would not hesitate to consider somone who did what "metballnut" noted.... it's a rare candidate that approaxhes a company with that request...one that is worth hiring.






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RUN !! run long and run fast, till that thought clears your mind,, lol

just kidding, it's a great industry and the apprentice idea is probably the best. And if you can do something in the VOIP or IP arena is probably best going forward
 
go on ebay and buy a phone system. try a partner acs release 6. you can buy one 18d phone, and use analog phones for the rest. play with it, and start from there. install it for your home on your home phone line. avaya.com has manuals for free. after that, buy a small [16 mailbox] pcmcia type voicemail card off ebay, and set it up, then play with it. after that, sell that small pcmcia voicemail card, and buy the large pcmcia voicemail card, and play with that.

should be able to get this equipment for less than 500, and sell it when you are done for the same. if you can figure it out from the manuals, you can do what i and most 'phone dudes' did, and should be able to find a job, then move forward with bigger systems. that is what you would do if you started working for someone is figure it out for yourself with a manual in most cases, as even if they have someone show you how to do the job. he probably will not help you learn it much, other than have you work with the wires.
if you are not ready to learn it from the book, and play with it until you figure it out, try a different industry.

 
I heard BT are looking for engineers - that is if you are in the UK.
 
If U can find a AVaya DEfinity ONE or IP600 used phone system, they have the voicemail intergrated so U can learn both on one system. And there are thousands of Definitys out there to work on once you learn them. If U get a Definity/Intuity, I have some cd-rom training materials U can borrow for free with only a fully returnable deposit.
 
If you want to jump into the IP side of things right away, set yourself up with a Linux server and run Asterisk, it's a pretty decent open-source IP-PBX platform.
 
GHtrout

Where did you find someone making 133 thousand as a tech support for a vendor?.....i am fighting with my boss to make sure that he doesnt replace me with someone making less than 50,000......though i pretty much run the dept

Brian

To error is human.....if the machine doesnt work, then KICK IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I was fortunate enough to get hired by the local tel-co and placed into the tech support of a Nortel call center...2.5 years later, some certs...I know the SCCS side of things very well.

It's hard to get into the market because if you don't have experience, you are SOL.

Just look and take the jobs you can find in the tel-co market..work your way up.
 
GHTROUT it seems your website has expired. I just went to look at the salry section from your link and it did not come up.
 
Just watching the job openings for the last 4 years, there seems to be a lot of jobs for outside techs to do installs, repairs, wiring changes and such, but they always want U to have experience. And as far as a administer that just does adds moves and changes to the software, hundreds of those people have been laid off with cost cutting. Many of those jobs were given to the IT deptartment with little of no training. So I would say don't set your sights on being a administrator only, but try and find a company that will train you to be a tech that does wiring and such and learn the programing too.
I hear that the military will train you on wiring if U don't mind the chance you will go to Iraq.
 
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