The tech industry is taking the world by storm, with hundreds of careers and new sectors awaiting you. As virtually all work is hosted digitally in some capacity, computer support specialists are becoming quite indispensable. A career as a computer support specialist ensures job security, great opportunities, and flexibility to work in almost any industry, from tech to manufacturing. You’re the one charged with providing technical help to non-IT computer users within an organization, remotely, or by making physical visits to solve issues in person.
Now, let’s look at what you need to launch a career as a computer support specialist.
Education and Qualifications
Education and requirements for a computer support specialist vary. You need to have sufficient computer knowledge, maybe at a diploma or degree level. A postgraduate degree isn’t a must, especially since you’re just starting. More technical computer support positions might require a degree in varied fields such as computer and information technology or engineering.
Once you kickstart your career, the best thing is continually advancing your education and skills to keep up with changes and new ideas.
Certifications, Licences, and Registrations
Some companies may require you to be certified by certain bodies to hire you. There are vendors who offer these certifications to validate you’re knowledgeable enough to work as a computer support specialist. Such a vendor is the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a non-profit organization, which offers professional certifications for IT-related courses.
CompTIA offers a certification called the CompTIA A+. The credential shows you’re excellent in hardware, software, network connectivity, various OS configurations, peripherals, and software applications. You can find additional top CompTIA A+ certifications here.
Companies and vendors like Microsoft, Oracle, and Cisco may require their own certifications.
Career Advancement
Once you secure your first job as a computer support specialist, you’ll gain experience and get the chance to advance to more defined roles like network administration or cyber security. Luckily, the chances of advancing your education at Southern Career Institute to strengthen your career are limitless.
Computer Support Specialist Additional Skills and Qualities
Apart from education and technical skills, some other essential skills and qualities make a good computer support specialist:
- Customer service –listening, empathy, and patience when handling customers and coming up with viable solutions to their problems.
- Interpersonal and communication skills –people skills or soft skills are vital since you’ll be dealing with people. Communication is crucial for a support specialist. One has to listen to customers and express themselves back in the right manner.
- Problem-solving –one has to identify, analyze, and solve any problem the customer brings to them.
- Analytical skills –technical support specialists must be able to collect information and analyze to solve a problem.
- Writing skills to construct and respond to emails or communicate instructions to colleagues and customers.
If you’re looking to pursue a career as a computer support specialist, Southern Careers Institute (SCI) is the place to be. We offer a high-quality online computer support specialist training program to equip and prepare you for a successful long-life career in IT.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about our online computer support specialist program.
This article was published on: 01/6/22 5:20 AM
* SCI does not guarantee employment or a starting salary upon graduation, completion, or withdrawal from SCI. As an accredited post-secondary institution, SCI has various federal financial assistance programs available for students who qualify and are enrolled in SCI programs. This does not apply to seminar students.
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