Are noc technician job opportunities growing or declining?

Are jobs in this industry on the rise? Are there any sub-sectors that are growing?

Where are the jobs? Which places have the most noc technician opportunities?

In my opinion they are still growing . I have worked in IT for about 8 years. If you have a combination of experience, certifications and a good resume , you will generally get calls from recruiters. The only issue is that more employers are asking for advanced skills that include anything from network security to basic t1 and help desk support.

NOC Jobs seem to be somewhat more in number as companies and networks expand. However, employers are more picky on who they hire. Many companies will want you to be able to do a wide range, from general inbound/outbound calls, all the way up to provisioning and translations. A good rule of thumb is to have or emphasize call center experience, especially technical customer-facing support, and real experience working on at least one kind of networking technology (sonet, dsl, t1, etc).

Certs are good, but especially when you use them not as a mere achievement, but as a sign that you are capable of learning and growing your potential expertise. In that light even a low level cert looks very good.

From a security standpoint many companies also like to promote from within as hiring new, unknown people is risky in a NOC/Engineering center. Most places will hire you lower and promote you as you earn it by skills and trust.