How Can You Train For A Career In Tech Support?

By Author: William Hauselberg
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A tech support technician applies technical problem-solving skills to troubleshoot and resolve issues concerning hardware and software computer systems, such as Windows and Apple operating systems and computer applications. As part of a team environment, a tech support technician provides customer service to internal employees in an organization or directly to customers who engage in products or services with an organization. Computer technicians generally work defined schedules, which may also include nights and weekends, depending on the employer and the position. They may provide ongoing troubleshooting services to random clients and customers or work directly on team projects. Some computer technicians provide services on an on-call basis, and some technicians in certain companies work in rotating shifts.

Training to Work in Tech Support

Many employers require candidates to have a minimum high school diploma, information technology training and work experience in the career field. There are various tech support training programs, whereby students develop the necessary skills to qualify for various entry-level ...
... network administration and computer technician jobs. By completing a full-time or part-time program, graduates will be knowledgeable about Microsoft Office applications, hardware and software operating systems and networking. Some programs last for three or four months, while other programs are longer. It is not necessary to complete a four year bachelor’s degree program for this career. Many community colleges and vocational schools offer comprehensive training at a fraction of the time that it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree program.

Majors for Tech Support

Vocational schools and community colleges offer a wide variety of majors and concentrations to enable aspiring tech support technicians to get the necessary training to compete for high earning jobs in the Information Technology industry. There are electronics and computer technology programs as well as computer engineering technology programs.

IT Training Courses

The required courses may vary with each tech support training program, but most of the courses include the basic skills of local area networks (LAN) and wide area networks (WAN). Students may be required to complete courses in transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP). Students will also develop skills in client/server operating systems. Some postsecondary schools offer programs in computer science and information technology.

Certifications in IT

Some employers require applicants for tech support technician jobs to have certain industry-wide certifications. The HDI Desktop Support Certification (HDI-DST) verifies an individual’s ability to provide technical support in customer service environments. The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification validates an individual’s ability to troubleshoot routing and switching networks. Employers may also require applicants to have the Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE). Some candidates may instead be required to hold certification in specific computer products.

Tech Support Skills

In addition to having the required level of technical support skills, tech support specialists should also possess organizational and time-management skills to be able to complete independent work projects. While working in an office setting, computer techs sometimes independently work directly with clients to resolve a variety of issues. Project management skills are also important, since many computer techs are assigned to project teams and must complete several delegated tasks. Some technical experts develop clientele and provide consultancy services, and therefore, it is also beneficial for them to have the ability to effectively address the needs of clients.

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