I'd be real careful moving into the Telecom industry - and I say this as someone who's spent 50 years in it.

I remember, years ago, complaining to my wife about the competition the industry was facing from "Trunk Slammers" and the like. Her response was excellent:

"As the equipment gets smarter, the installers can get stupider."

So what if these yahoos can't troubleshoot a simple problem? So what if the install looks like crap? The consumer wanted a cheap job and got it.

My suggestion to you is - if you really want to get into Telecom, try to get into one of the "Cadillac" operations, one of the top places in your area. There will always be some people who are willing to pay top price for top service - but in the coming years they will be few and far between. And I wouldn't leave IT completely, because so much of Telecom will be moving more and more to IT.

Just my $0.02.

Sam

"Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?"