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You have to be patient with customers as they come to keep them calm and solve their pain points. The median salary and wage for computer support specialists are $54,760 per year and $26.33 per hour (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)). If you like to solve technical issues and work with people, then help desk technician may be a good next step for you. There are a lot of factors involved including the particular job responsibilities, years of experience, and the area of the country where the employer is located. A more senior position like a help desk supervisor or IT technician lead could earn $70,000 or more a year.
IT professionals who choose to be patient with themselves and others are better equipped to swiftly get to the bottom of problems and discover solutions. To be more patient, keep in mind that your end customers are not as technically savvy as you are. This will help you maintain your calm and establish a connection with them. Keep in mind that some folks will have to wait a long time to speak with you. When they eventually reach you, it’s understandable that they’ll be irritated.
You may be the type of person who really enjoys troubleshooting computer issues – or the person your friends come to for advice on software, hardware and new apps. According to USA Today, it’s an industry that has more demand than supply. CompTIA is an online training provider offering an array of career-building training programs. Its CompTIA A+ course is designed to teach participants the basic skills they’ll need for an IT or customer service career. This includes a breakdown of the help desk tools they can expect to see when working in a support role. All of these traits help hiring managers know if help desk job candidates would be a good fit, from an experience and cultural perspective.
They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Listening skills, and Speaking skills. You have to be able to pivot from one situation to another well to find success in a help desk. No two customer requests will be the same, so being adaptable means that you can change your approach to each item to best meet the needs of the customer before you. The median annual salary for help desk technicians in $56,000, according to the latest figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
You may work in-house for your company, or you could work remotely, servicing customers over the phone on the “help” line. IT certifications in support can vary between college courses and apprenticeships. Support engineers often learn on the job and cater services to specific businesses, software, and hardware. An IT help desk assists all users in troubleshooting a number of IT problems and issues. An IT helpdesk engineer can also earn a good salary and IT help desk jobs are always in demand. This course focuses on troubleshooting network issues affecting customer service tools like poor connections and network security.
This means customers are given automated ticketing to ensure their query is directed to the right help desk support engineer. There are a few different data sources you can look at to get a sense of what you might earn. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics presents official government data and is a good place to start. Your primary responsibility is troubleshooting problems with computer hardware, peripherals and software for IT end users.
Time spent as a system or network administrator will be where you gain the bulk of your experience and knowledge of IT, and it will help you advance to more technically challenging roles later on in your career. Expect to spend a good chunk of your career in systems administration, starting as a junior sys admin and working your way to a senior admin before moving on. Help desk engineers and desk support technicians both require similar skills like “troubleshoot,” “help-desk support,” and “technical support” to carry out their responsibilities.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between help desk engineers and desktop support specialist. A college degree is not typically required for entry-level help desk positions, however it may help you get the interview and job faster – and at a higher pay grade – than candidates with no degree. If you want a college education, but not the time and expense of a 2- or 4-year degree program, consider a specialized certificate in PC repair or IT/help desk support. Help desk technicians need a deep understanding of computer hardware and software. Strong communication skills are also essential, as help desk specialists must effectively communicate solutions to both technical and non-technical individuals. The IT help desk career path is ideal for methodical problem-solvers with an aptitude for learning and quickly adapting new skills.
IT managers will need plenty of experience, credentials, and certifications. But if leadership is in your sights, you’ll also need strong business acumen. A degree in IT business management builds a foundation help desk engineer in business law, communications, ethics, and, of course, the business of IT. This entails asking an end-user where they are phoning from and what their job is inside the organization right away.
What I experience in my work now is not what I experienced when I first started 20 years ago, and it’s not just about the technology I was using, either. Everyone has to start somewhere, and since I’ve experienced the highs and lows of climbing the IT ladder, I want to share some tips with you. My hope is you can feel good about kick-starting a career in IT, or get an understanding of what you need to do to keep climbing and have success.
Many businesses are continuing to expand their operations and need to invest in technology in order to support this growth. The IT help desk job market is expected to continue to be on the rise in the coming years. An IT help desk engineer can expect to earn something between $55,000-$65,000 annually. Depending on the company, IT help desk engineers can also work per hour.
In fact, “climbing the ladder” could frustrate you and create unnecessary anxiety. If you love help desk and doing that job makes you happy, then do it and be the best at it. If you love design and architecture, then be happy doing it and don’t sweat trying to advance.
After you understand the big picture of IT, the next immediate thing to work on is your relationships. Having a good network of friends and colleagues can help in many ways. You can have access to very knowledgeable people who can advise you, increase your chances of landing a higher-paying position, and confidently ask for help anytime you need it.