Obtain cable infrastructure construction and design education and training to enhance your resume. Whether you are working on a degree or expanding your knowledge base with additional training, keeping current in cable infrastructure construction and design techniques gives you and edge in the market.

Learn about cabling infrastructure from experts who have been in the field for a long time and listen to their advice on tips and techniques. Some ways you might want to educate and train yourself in cable infrastructure construction and design include the following options:

1. Earn a degree in a hands-on classroom while learning about cable system design.

2. Get cable infrastructure construction and design education and training from online courses.

3. Keep current with terminology and changes in cable infrastructure design with updated written reports.

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Earn a degree while learning specifics on what cable infrastructure companies look for in employees

Let classroom experience teach you about cable infrastructure solutions. Attending a college to earn a degree in electrical engineering or engineering technology gives you the opportunity to glean knowledge from experts and get some hands-on work experience.

I recommend: World Wide Learn offers a summary for what a degree in electrical engineering entails along with the types of career a graduate could expect. It lists a series of colleges and universities offering online and on-site courses. All Star Directories proposes a list entitled "AllEngineeringSchools," which lists programs from IT schools and engineering schools that offer degrees in engineering technology. Each school provides a fact sheet and contact information.

Utilize online courses to learn about cable system design

Online coursework allows you to learn about cabling infrastructure design in your own time frame. Set your classes around your work schedule and work toward a degree or just take classes to further your knowledge on cable system design.

I recommend: Universities.com offers a listing where students can go to find a university or college in their state that offers a degree in engineering technology. It also has a listing of distance learning universities and colleges. Degrees Online focuses primarily on colleges and universities that offer online courses, including courses for a degree in electrical engineering. It has an easy-to-use list of educational institutions with links to learn more about each one.

Keep current in the cabling infrastructure design industry with print publications

Magazines and websites that update on a regular basis can keep you current with cable infrastructure construction terms and technology. They also highlight changes in the industry and offer advice from industry experts.

I recommend: The University at Albany offers a website dedicated to defining requirements for telecommunication infrastructure. The university updates it on a regular basis to educate people interested in the most current terms and standards. Cabling Business Magazine addresses practical cable information and discusses innovative approaches and practices. It keeps current with industry news and provides updates in its monthly publications.

Cable infrastructure design deals with how cables are made. A telecommunications cable can either consist of one or more wires bound together and insulated or one or more optical fibers bound together and insulated. There is also specialty cabling where the infrastructure consists of a combination of both wire and fiber optic cables.

When designing and constructing a wire cable infrastructure, builders choose for a variety of factors:

1. Cable physical size.
2. Power-handling capability of the cable infrastructure.
3. Cost.
4. Continuous grounded current flow.
5. Protection against interference from outside signals.
6. Efficient transfer of electric currents from one circuit to another through a series of connectors.
7. Efficient power supply switchers regulating current flow from excess power interruptions.
8. Cable insulation protection against radiation leakage dangers.

A fiber optic cable transmits light across its length from one place to another mostly as a conduit for digital information. Efficient fiber optic cable infrastructure design includes these elements:

1. Glass or plastic fibers.
2. Transmitters emitting light in fiber optic cabling.
3. Receivers converting light into electricity.
4. Multiplexing that divides the signal into multiple channels.
5. Amplifiers regulating the signal's distance.

Because of the inherent complexity of these factors in wire, fiber optic and specialty cable system design and construction, knowledgeable cable consulting professionals are very important.

Action Steps
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Get cable system design and construction information from US government-sponsored consultants

Cable infrastructure construction and design consultants may come from many agencies and entities of the US government, including the White House and the Department of Labor.

I recommend: The Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) is the research and engineering lab of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Its Technical Progress Report (PDF) includes advancements in cable infrastructure solutions. Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) is a White House-directed emergency phone infrastructure service administered by the Department of Homeland Security. Find out how to participate in GETS.

Get cable infrastructure solutions information from cable professional organizations

Cable infrastructure construction and design professional organizations have helped establish cable industry standards and may be able to provide consultants for your business

I recommend: The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has been one of the prime movers in establishing cable infrastructure construction standards. At its website, you can find consultants for cabling and wires (under "Contact Information") and consultants for fiber optics cable infrastructure construction. TIA provides additional information on fiber optics cable infrastructure at the Fiber Optics LAN Section (FOLS) website. Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) offers a long list of member websites and The Fiber Optic Association (FOA) has a searchable member database for those seeking a fiber optic cable infrastructure installer. Here you can find a local chapter of the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE).

Visit websites of individual cable infrastructure construction and design consultant companies

Consider that private sector cable infrastructure construction and design consultants may specialize more in cable infrastructure design than cabling infrastructure construction, and vice versa.

I recommend: You'll find a long list of cable infrastructure companies, contractors, and engineers at GlobalSpec Inc., an engineering search engine. Volt Information Services, Inc. is a major international provider of cable infrastructure construction and design engineering services. Celergy Networks, Inc. focuses on network cabling and infrastructure installations.

For cable infrastructure construction and design info, read cable professional trade magazines

Cable professional trade magazines may have different focuses, such as cable infrastructure construction and maintenance or general cable industry news and opinions.

I recommend: Cabling Business Magazine is an informative trade magazine aimed at cabling infrastructure providers and managers. CommunicationsNews is a general interest telecommunications trade magazine. Published by BISCI, Wireville.com offers the latest news of developments in the cable infrastructure industry, while Pennwell Corporation's Cabling Installation & Maintenance has in-depth information about cabling installation and maintenance. CommunicationsDigest.com may help you find a cable infrastructure consultant near your business.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When looking for a cable infrastructure construction contractor, understand that these contractors may have different specialties, such as on-premises cabling, off-premises cabling, wire cabling and/or fiber optics cabling.

In a era that continues to see the advancement of technology and non-verbal communication, the whole world seems to revolve around cable infrastructures in order to transmit information. The majority of such communication would not be possible without the integration of a complex cable infrastructure. Whether you design cable infrastructures or need one constructed for your business, it's important to know several key terms regarding the types of cables and components available.

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Telecommunications

Telecommunications, also known as telecom, is the transmission and reception of signals over distance. Successful telecommunications, which all of today's businesses need, may require a cable infrastructure with optimal design and construction, depending on the type of information shared.

I recommend: Read the brief description of telecommunications offered by George Mason University's Department of Communication.

Fiber optic

Fiber-optic cables are among the most widely used cables in today's technology. The core of these cables is either glass or plastic. The transmission of signals is through light pulses from a laser or LED (light-emitting diode).

I recommend: Visit ARC Electronics for a fiber-optic cable overview.

Coaxial

A coaxial cable has an inner conductor and outer conductor, separated and insulated from each other by a dielectric foam. You use coaxial cables predominantly for the transmission of high-frequency signals.

I recommend: The Data Center Journal has information about the materials that make up coaxial cables.

Cat

You may come across something called a Cat3, Cat5 or Cat7 cable. Cat is the abbreviation for category, and each number coincides with the transmission characteristics of the hardware the cable connects to. For example, a Cat1 transmits voice and low-speed data, a Cat3 transmits up to 16 MHz (megahertz) and a Cat6a transmits up to 500 MHz of data.

I recommend: Obtain more in-depth details for Cat3, Cat5, Cat6 and Cat7 from Action Communication Technology.

Conduit

A conduit is a pipe used to protect cables that run from floor to floor or floor to ceiling in a building. Metal typically makes up conduits used indoors, but those that protect cables that run between buildings, such as on a college campus, usually consist of a PVC pipe encased in concrete.

I recommend: Learn more about the sizes and types of conduits used in electric cable work from Sweethaven Publishing Services.

Broadband

Broadband is high-grade communications simultaneously distributed over multi-channel transmissions. Most commonly, broadband refers to high-speed Internet access.

I recommend: The Federal Communications Commission explains broadband in more detail, including the different ways you can transmit, which includes using fiber-optic cable and power lines. For more cable infrastructure construction and design terms, visit the Cabling Business Magazine.