Drive test engineer a field that grows day after day. Based on research, the DT engineer has undergone, it’s expected to reach about 2% growth during the next six years.
With thousands of open vacancies, how could you decide to adopt this job as your career? Many questions are on your mind, what is the DT engineer job description? What are the responsibilities of a DT engineer? And what are the skills needed to become a DT engineer?
To find an answer for all of your questions, you need to go in depth in this job position. Just stay reading this article!
Table of contents
What is a Drive Test Engineer (DT Engineer)?
Drive test engineer or the DT engineer is the person who is responsible for maintaining the networks functionality and efficiency. Also, he is an expert in the radio frequency, DT engineer runs many tests to make sure that the radio frequency circuits and systems perform well.
On the other hand, DT engineers work on installing new networks to ensure the highest performance.
DT Engineer Responsibilities
As a DT engineer, you should focus on different duties which will make you a talented DT engineer. Let’s list all the responsibilities of a DT engineer:
- Testing: by doing several tests in the systems and software to make sure that they function in the right ways.
- Work to stick with the key performance indicator KPI of each software.
- Assess the network performance as a whole, then start to identify each area that needs more work and test.
- Test the functionality of the mobile networks.
- Maintain the infrastructure of the networks.
- Able to work with the computer software to test the networks and the circuits.
- Troubleshooting issues and analyzing logs GSM, LTE.
- Usage of navigation systems and GPS.
- Discover radio measurements.
- Do the drive test to GSM/UMTS and CDMA
- Set up the hardware kits.
- Configure UMTS systems
- Check mobility tests and stationery.
- Do regular SSV tests, troubleshooting tests and cluster tests.
- Configure TEMS / Agilent/ NEMO kits.
- Test the performance of CSFB to be able to check the LTE in terms of speed test, call success rate and call drop rate.
- Use TEMS to reduplicate dropped calls and record data.
- Install new RF measurements to make sure that it functions correctly.
- Recommend and upgrade the system improvements measurements on a regular basis with the RF engineer.
- Manage and check all the handover functionality performance on devices.
- Examine the prototypes for conformance to FCC qualifications.
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DT engineer job description
A DT engineer works generally in different fields and especially in the telecommunications sector and automotive sector. Basically, the drive test engineer checks the functionality of the different types of networks, radio frequency, and software by using their knowledge in electrical engineering.
You could save your place as a DT engineer after knowing all the basics and how the different circuits run and function.
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Drive Test Engineer Jobs
Just before you decide which career is the suitable one for your knowledge and your expectations, start by discovering all the available jobs in this domain.
But we have to mention that between 2018 and 2028, the growth in the demand for the DT engineer in the different companies will increase by 2%, which is slower than the average rate, so, you have to put this information into consideration, you have to be the perfect one to gain more opportunities.
In terms of jobs, DT engineers prefer working as a freelancer in multiple companies more than being a member in an in-house company.
Drive Test Engineer Career Paths
The drive test engineer careers go through different steps. You could be going on a path that leads you to a specific career. If you want to reach an objective in your professional life, let’s know together the different career paths in the drive test engineer domain.
If you want to be:
- Construction manager: start as a DT engineer, then radio frequency engineer, after that try to be a project manager, then owner or operator and finally a construction manager, you could be hired as a construction manager after about 9 years.
- Senior engineer: Begin your career as a DT engineer, then RF engineer, then senior design engineer to finally reach the senior engineer job title after about 7 years.
- Radio frequency engineer: start as a drive test engineer and after 5 years, you could be a radio frequency engineer.
- Engineering technician lead: begin as a drive test engineer, then FR engineer, to become a senior engineer, then lead engineer and finally am engineering technician lead after about 7 years of experience.
- Senior Engineering Technician: you should start as a drive test engineer, then engineer, to be a research and development (R&D) engineer, then a test engineer and finally a senior engineering technician after about 8 years of work.
- Head engineer: begin as a DT engineer, then an engineer then lead engineer, finally a head engineering after 6 years.
- Engineering Laboratory Manager: you will start your career path as an engineer, then become a consulting engineer, then senior engineering technician and realize your dream as an engineering laboratory manager in about 8 years.
- Lead field Engineer: as a first step become a DT engineer, then a test engineer, then a field service technician, then a senior field engineer and finally a lead field engineer in about 6 years.
- Field Engineering manager: begin as a drive test engineer, then a test engineer then a senior technologist, after that become a senior field engineer and finally a field engineering manager in about 8 years.
Top Careers Before DT engineer
In the career path mentioned seconds ago, you found that you should always start as a drive test engineer. But how could you be hired as a DT engineer?
Of course, you should build your professional experience to be able to catch the different job opportunities available on the market for the Drive Test engineer. Between the jobs that could improve your professional skills are:
- Radio Frequency Engineer “RF Engineer”
- Drive Tester
- Field Technician
- Engineer
- Field Engineer
- Data Collector
- Associate Radio Frequency Engineer
- Security Officer
- Project Manager
- Network Engineer
- Test Technician
- Network Technician
- Technician Support Specialist
- Technician
- Field Test Engineer
- Research Assistant
- Computer Technician
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Top Careers After DT engineer
From the other side, you should know your future career as well, after being a drive test engineer, what is the common hierarchy. So, we will list them to you now to decide the perfect path suitable to your skills and qualifications:
- Radio Frequency Engineer
- Associate Radio Frequency Engineer
- Engineer
- Drive Tester
- Test Engineering
- Field Engineer
- Field Test Engineer
- Field Technician
- Consultant
- Test Technician
- Team Leader
- Network Engineer
- Radio Frequency Technician
- Software Engineer
- Construction Manager
- System Engineer
- Performance System Engineer
- Performance Engineer
- Search Engine Optimizer
- Project Manager
How To Become a DT Engineer
To be a DT Engineer, you should have certain skills, knowledge, education level and responsibilities. We just screened the responsibilities and duties of the DT Engineer previously. And we will go in depth in the skills after a few minutes.
Now, let’s talk about the knowledge and the education level. In the Drive Test Engineer market, we found the majority of them having at least a bachelor degree or a master degree in engineering, in order to know all the small details concerning the DT engineering tricks.
About 69.1% of DT Engineers have their bachelor degree, and 13.5% has a master degree. Also, some drive test engineers own an associate degree or a diploma degree in drive test engineering.
To become a DT Engineer, you must search for vacancies to acquire more experience, to be able to be an active part in the DT engineering field. You could start as a Radio Frequency Engineer, Drive tester or Field technician.
What Skills do You Require?
Any job requires some skills that will help you to add a value to your work, to finalize it quickly, to understand the field. For the Drive Test Engineer, you should grow up these skills to become the perfect candidate:
- Data Collector: the most important skill that you must have. You should examine any problem, start to do your research, see the available indicators in the environment of the problem. Then, after collecting all the data, create the link to find out the right solutions to avoid the repetition of the same problem again.
- GPS: the GPS is the Global Positioning System, it’s a navigation system with a satellite. Its main role is to determine location, synchronize time date for different travel methods like land, air or sea. Knowing the GPS usage will help you as a drive test engineer:
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- in cluster drive tests, in network optimization and in planning strategy.
- Examine a nationwide drive test in the big cities via GPS
- Use the GPS in your collecting data process.
- Plotted maps and routes.
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- RF: The radio frequency is considered as one of the most important skills that you should improve to be a DT engineer. You will use the RF in installing, examining the system improvements measures.
- Knowing the advanced mathematical formulae.
- Aware of the network monitoring tools.
- Familiar with testing software
- Knowing the LTE
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Drive Test Engineer Skills and Personality Traits
In addition to the professional skills that you must grow up with, other personal skills are required that could create the difference between you and your colleagues in the field.
- Have strong communication skills and analytics skills.
- Troubleshooting skills to resolve all the different problems.
- Problem solver to find out the problem source and work to solve it.
- Details oriented as the simple details could create a big problem.
What Salary Can You Expect?
Towards the job career path, and your intention to grow professionally, for sure you are looking for a salary. It’s a type of appreciation from your company towards your efforts each month.
The expected salary for this job title depends upon the years of experience, your qualifications. But let’s set an average, it’s about $85,000 per year.
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What is RF Drive Tester
The RF drive tester or the radio frequency drive tester, in this job title, the RF drive tester must have a background in Radio frequency hardware domain. Also, he must know all the details about the radio frequency tools and equipment.
RF drive tester is available in different forms of hiring, you could be a freelancer or a member of an in-house company. All types of work environments have benefits and disadvantages, so you have to choose the reasonable ways for your career.
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Responsibilities of an RF Drive Tester
As we mentioned before that the RF drive tester main task is to maintain the functionality of the radio frequency networks. To accomplish this task, he should do some responsibilities and duties. These responsibilities are:
- Data collection: one of the most important roles that the Radio Frequency Drive Tester should do regularly is to collect data using all the methods. Then, create a link between the different data collected to resolve any problem or to create new solutions.
- Test the radio frequency networks functionalities.
- Check the performance of the network.
- Stick with the key performance indicators KPIs to create the perfect network.
- Use software to make the radio frequency.
- Maintain the infrastructure of the network.
- Test the functionality of the mobile networks.
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The difference between RF Drive Tester and DT Engineer
The RF Drive Tester and the DT Engineer have a mutual job role and responsibilities. But we found a sample difference between the RF Drive Tester and the DT Engineer. The Drive Test Engineer is an engineer working in the network test in a general scope including the RF Drive test, LTE and all the different network software.
From the other side, the RF Drive Tester, he is working mainly in creating and testing the performance of the radio frequency network.
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Working as Freelance DT engineer
After working as a Drive Test Engineer for a while, you are now eligible to work as a freelancer. The Experience will make you ready to handle many accounts at the same time and maintain the performance of the network for different industries.
You could work as a DT engineer freelance or in an in-house company, it’s your choice.
Faq about DT engineer job description
We collect some frequently asked questions to help you in your decisions, to exploit the opportunity or let it go.
What is the future scope for a DT engineer?
The future scope for the DT Engineer depends on the career path that you have chosen as we mentioned before. But, let us list the expected career after working hard for about 7 years.
- Construction manager
- Senior engineer
- Engineering technician lead
- Senior Engineering Technician
- Head engineer
- Engineering Laboratory Manager
- Lead field Engineer
- Field Engineering manager
- Radio Frequency Engineer
Is DT engineer a good career?
DT Engineer has a career path that will make you reach some job titles. But you need to stick to your dream, work hard and definitely you will find the perfect career path.
But, let us clarify that the drive test engineer job title is supposed to have a little rate growth in the demand till 2028. So, if you love this career, you have to deploy all of your efforts to arrive at your goal.
In conclusion, finding the right career is a long trip, during which you discover all the hidden information in each job title to be able to choose the perfect one. We just discussed with you now all the information about the DT Engineer job description. If you find yourself in this job position, don’t hesitate to find a way to participate in this industry!
