Career
Switchboard operators, including answering service
Answer and route calls.
$38,630
Median pay
-26.0%
Job growth, 2025–35
3,100
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
- Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.
- Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts.
- Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location.
- Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $38,630 a year and 3,100 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Receptionists and Information Clerks$38,010 · -1.7%
- Office Clerks, General$45,010 · -6.0%
- Telephone Operators$41,740 · -27.6%
- Customer Service Representatives$44,770 · -5.3%
- Public Safety Telecommunicators$53,040 · +3.7%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.