Woz U

There’s no question that this is a lucrative field to consider when seeking a remunerating career. But before you leap in, it’s always good to take a step back and review your options first.

The most recent statistics on an IT support specialist field find that there will be an expected 100,000 more jobs added to this field in the U.S. over the next eight years. Year-over-year, this field has experienced explosive growth at 11%, with more than 80,000 jobs added for 2017 alone.

• As a professional in this field, you’d be earning a healthy salary, estimated between $25 and $40 per hour. Keep in mind that IT support services most often run 24-hours per day, so there’d be room for moonlighters and swing-shifters to get the desired schedule they need, too.
• Two popular fields in this niche offer a unique salary range, with an IT support specialist salary averaging $52,160 per year and a computer network support specialist salary capping out at about $62,670 annually.

There’s no question that this is a lucrative field to consider when seeking a remunerating career. But before you leap in, it’s always good to take a step back and review your options first.

Learn More About Your Career Options

While this field presents several niches, it’s good advice to make sure that you fully explore your options. For example, if you don’t feel like you’ll be as challenged as you’d like to be in a computer support specialist position, you can always take additional secondary educational certifications to instead pursue a similar—yet more challenging and higher paying—career as a computer network support specialist.

What Do Computer Support Specialists Do?

As a computer support specialist, you’ll likely be doing the following:

• Offering helpdesk, chat, phone and email support.
• Helping resolve customer and or user issues.
• Resolving customer support tickets via an automated system.
• Critical people skills, phone, written and verbal communication skills.
• Adeptness in MS Office and computing systems.
• Understanding of technical issues with a problem-solution logic.

 

Compare Regional Salary Averages

After you’ve determined which niche you’re a good fit for, it’s a good idea to compare what the regional salaries being offered are. For example, there may be more jobs open in a place like Phoenix, but they may pay less than the jobs that are listed in a location like Atlanta.

By spending some time comparing regional vacancies and salaries, you’ll be able to determine if relocation is a viable option that can improve take-home pay and long-term job security.

Where to Look for Jobs

It always helps to have an idea of where you can begin your search. The best place to start is with a few online searches.

You can save some serious time by using job engines instead of search engines. Services like PayScale will provide you with average annual median salaries by region or nationally, while services like Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter and LinkedIn can connect you to prospective employers, who currently list thousands of jobs in this field.

Of course, you’ll also want to demonstrate that you are qualified enough for such positions. That’s where Woz U comes in. With the right postsecondary education on your resume, you’ll be able to demonstrate to employers that you possess the technical and communication skills necessary to thrive in one of these positions.