What Is a Technical Support Specialist?
Everyone knows how important it is to have educated, dedicated technical support specialists. They keep companies running by providing assistance to associates who tend to have less experience with high-end networking or complicated systems (or who just don’t know their way around a PC), and they also act as installation and maintenance workers tasked with making sure an organization’s computer systems are in proper working order.
The job is usually a demanding one that requires focus and the ability to multitask as well as communicate effectively with associates of different skill levels to resolve their problems. Technical support specialists oversee the day-to-day running and implementation of hardware and software, with an eye for finding the right machines and programs to fit their organization’s growth plans.
Support specialists can also work as help-desk staffers, responding to local or intra-office calls from their own organization’s employees or handling issues from related groups across the country or globe.
How to Become a Technical Support Specialist
All technical support specialists positions require a combination of education and experience, though the requisite amount of each will fluctuate based on skill, demand, location, and a host of other issues. Some jobs only ask for an associate degree in computer science or a similarly tech-related field, but many others want a bachelor’s degree in the field or one in computer engineering, management information systems, or others. Relevant and necessary courses include mathematics, networking and computer science, and basic classes on management and business.
It’s wise to learn about business because tech support specialists aren’t just hardware installers; they’re specialists who use their training to assist the company, and a thorough understanding of business goals will help with that. It’s also a good idea to pursue an internship in a relevant field and get real-world, hand-on experience as a technical support specialist. The best way to know how to solve users’ problems is to work alongside them and learn what issues tend to crop up the most.
Technical Support Specialist Career Outlook & Salary
Overall, the job prospects for technical support specialists are good, especially if those specialists have a college degree or higher and the requisite skills. Through 2018, employment is expected to grow by 14 %, which is faster than the national average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As more and more companies implement advanced computer technology, they’ll need larger teams of qualified tech support specialists to maintain that technology.
Unsurprisingly, industries with the heaviest reliance on new technology — hosting, data processing, software publishing, etc. — are the safest bets for aspiring technical support specialists looking for employment. The BLS also estimated that median earnings for technical support specialists hover around $43,000 annually, with those on the high end earning more than $70,000 per year. Again, though, it’s important to note that those figures, like all salary reports, vary based on experience and location.
