Web-based Help Desk and Tech Support specialist salaries data is updated on an annual basis. A help desk technician, also sometimes called a Computer Support Technician, Desktop Support Technician, or Helpdesk Analyst, is a computer support specialist who is trained as an IT specialist. A help desk technician needs to possess both soft and hard skills, as this role requires a solid understanding of technology, and also an ability to clearly communicate with others.
Education requirements vary, but IT support specialists need deep knowledge of computers as well as strong technical and soft skills. Anyone with a basic understanding of computers, interest in technology, and desire for success would be well-suited for a help desk career training program. When you graduate from the Southern Careers Institutes computer training programs, our student career services staff can help you land a position as a help desk technician. Need is Why Our computer support specialist program also helps you sharpen your skills in customer service and public speaking.
Additional credentials and an advanced degree may help you advance beyond an IT support role, but employers are mostly looking for the right mix of skills when they are looking for Network & IT Security, Software Developers, and Managers. Software development, computer network architecture, and computer programming are some of the other possible careers that IT support staff, or others working at the entry-level, might choose to pursue.
Technicians may be more of a lower-level job in the IT help desk, typically receiving lower salary and less benefits compared to analysts. Entry-level technical support technicians may earn less, whereas those with more years experience can earn more. Some entry-level technical jobs, or a list of help desk jobs, will require either/or to be hired. A generalized help desk listing may involve any one of these levels of skills, while some listings will require a degree in IT or related fields.
With at least a years experience in these types of positions, you can probably confidently say that you possess both these skill sets. The tech support job description is very similar to the one for helpdesk technicians, so keep this title in mind as you search for jobs, although this might include traveling to clients homes to do hands-on repairs. As a help desk technician, your primary responsibilities are providing technical assistance and support; this could include setting up and fixing computers, or answering the customers questions on how to use his computer.
The help desk has been a needed component in IT shops for some time, particularly at larger organizations, supporting thousands of users, as well as the devices and services that they depend on for doing their jobs. IT support technicians produce proper documentation for help, aiming to quickly solve any issues for all users. The IT Service Desk Technician sets up, evaluates, solves problems, maintains, and upgrades computers and various types of devices, including copiers, printers, and scanners, for all users to ensure that they are performing optimally.
The Service Desk Technicians provide technical support for all internal and non-IT employees, and customers facing issues related to equipment, software, and networking. Some technicians can also assist in the problem solving of Internet connections and associated devices, such as routers and modems. In some positions, a customer service technician may have to travel to the customers premises in order to solve complex problems.
Because IT support is essential for businesses, it is likely that the support services will need to be available around the clock. More support services will be needed as organizations update computer hardware and software.
Having a good network of friends and colleagues will be helpful in more ways. Many experts find it satisfying that they are able to help a computer user with an issue. You may be exposed to highly experienced individuals to give advice, improve your chances of landing a better-paying job, and confidently call in for help whenever you need it.
To avoid getting stuck in a starting-level role, ensure that you understand the bigger picture of the industry, get involved with the community of experts so that you can network and receive recommendations, and learn the full stack of networking technologies so that your career options are expanded. These lessons learned and shared by IT veterans can help novice systems administrators make the leap from help desk and build a foundation for continuing education and growth within IT. Some tools that you are already using in a helpdesk role may even remain relevant, or otherwise have a crossover appeal, to Sysadmin positions, particularly if you make an effort to develop an expertise in them outside the scope of your current responsibilities.
The help desk might seem like the paycheck that is coming, but it could also be an ideal springboard to a long, fruitful career in IT, provided that you use the opportunities that are available to expand your skill set. One logical route from the help desk is into a system admin role (or comparable roles such as a network admin), ideally one that tasks you with solving more advanced problems or taking responsibility for applications and infrastructure.
Larson suggests current help desk professionals check whether such a role exists at their employers, and candidates for a position in a help desk should do the same in their interviewing process.
Entry-level positions devote time to helping out with small things, rather than working on things that could translate directly to bigger-time promotions. As a result, people wind up spending over 3 years in a helpdesk environment, not getting the experience and skillsets that translate to better paying IT jobs. Technicians work flexibly hours in order to support a business or organizations operations 24×7.
The average salary and wages of a Computer Support Specialist are $54,760 annually and $26.33 an hour (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)). According to Investopedia, the median salary of a computer support specialist is about $47,610 annually. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects that the number of jobs available to computer support professionals, including service desk technicians, will increase by 12 percent between 2014 and 2024.