Career: Computer Support Specialists

Are you the person friends and family call when they can’t figure out what’s wrong with their computer? Do you enjoy solving what others think of as insurmountable tasks and watching them breathe a sigh of relief as you rescue their lost document or rid their computer of a virus? Do you read the latest computer magazines and keep up with the best new hardware and software products?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, a career as a computer support specialist may be for you.

Computer support specialists, also known as help-desk technicians, provide technical assistance to customers by identifying and solving their hardware and software problems.

Did You Know?

• Although many support specialists help customers, others help coworkers.

Are You Ready To...?

• Decide whose questions to answer first
• Troubleshoot problems, such as hard-drive crashes
• Respond calmly to panicked users who are working on deadlines
• Train users on new technology
• Advise people designing new software and hardware

It Helps to Be...

A great communicator and problem solver. You’ll need to provide clear explanations and directions on paper, via email, in person, and on the phone.

Make High School Count

• Take as much advanced math as your high school offers.
• Make the most of your science classes. They train you to think logically.
• Sign up for computer science classes. If your high school doesn’t offer any, look into summer classes for precollege students at local two- or four-year colleges.
• Develop your written and verbal communication skills in English, drama, and speech classes.
• Consider summer computer science camp programs like MIT’s Women’s Technology Program.

Did You Know?

• Writing instruction manuals and training people one-on-one may be an important part of your job as a support specialist.

Outlook

Government economists expect job growth for computer support specialists to be faster than the average for all professions through 2014.

As computer hardware and software become more sophisticated and continue to change at a fast pace, support specialists will be needed to educate and update users. College graduates with strong computer and communications skills combined with practical work experience will do best in the job market.

Compensation

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that computer support specialists earned an average yearly salary of $44,350 in 2006. These are average salaries in the industries that are the biggest employers:

• Computer systems design and related services: $46,020
• Elementary and secondary schools: $39,810
• Colleges and universities: $41,450
• Management of companies and enterprises: $45,620
• Software publishers: $51,180