Pros
As an installer, you feel like your own boss most days. Once you pass your on-call test, you get to take the company van home (saves me over $100 a month in gas), and you also get free cable, phone, and internet (yes, including HBO, Showtime, ect.) The company is constantly trying to keep up with the latest and greatest technology, and our internet service is head over heals above anything around. This makes dealing with customers a pleasant experience because they are use to our great service. It is a privately owned company, and I have spoken directly to the owner on multiple occasions, I don't think you can say that about many places. They try their best to make their employees happy, and the pay is good. Raises are based on tests that you take at your own pace, so the money you make reflects how much you know about the industry. There are also great benefits and affordable health, eye, and dental insurance.
Kontras
Working outside on a pole in the often brutal North Western Pennsylvania winters can take its toll on you. You can't guarantee getting home on time every night. You work until you have completed all your calls. Just like every other job, there are lazy technicians that you are always following around and fixing their mistakes (who oftentimes make more money than you). The work can also be pretty dirty at times. It is not uncommon to walk into a house and having a hard time breathing from the odor.