What’s the Average Computer Support Specialist Salary?

These are both important questions that should be asked and answered if you are considering a career in this field. We ‘ll provide some helpful information here that you can use to determine if this is the right career path for you.

What Does a Computer Support Specialist Do?

Computer support specialists can wear many different hats. In a helpdesk position, for example, you ‘d find yourself assisting either internal users or fielding inbound customer phone calls, chats and emails while helping to resolve support tickets that can range from network and connectivity issues to software bugs, driver updates and more. Internal computer support specialist may even assist with company network or hardware issues and serve as on-call experts to ensure suppertime.

Most computer specialist positions require a full-time commitment. They can come with either an attached and fixed hourly rate or, more commonly, an annual salary. Be prepared to expect to work a variety of shifts, although some companies will offer a set schedule. The reality is that computer support specialists are in high demand and there are not enough qualified persons to fill the employment gap at the present. Due to this increasing demand, lots of companies are hiring for swing shifts and evening shifts.

Key skills that you ‘ll want to nurture include:

• Communication and people skills
• Problem solving
• Critical and logical thinking
• Hardware and software knowledge
• Productivity and multitasking
• Written and verbal

 

Common Career Paths

A computer support specialist salary will vary depending on the career path that ‘s chosen. For example, a base median average salary of around $46,000 per year is expected when entering the workforce. But as you work your way up. Depending on what type of career you see yourself in, pay grade can increase as well.

A few common career paths for a computer support specialist include:

• Helpdesk
• IT/Network support
• System administrator
• Information technology manager
• Information technology director
• Project manager
• Information technology support specialist
• Information technology specialist

Each of these career paths comes with a different median salary. And each are attainable from the ground up; meaning that a motivated individual can begin with an entry-level position and work their way up to a larger salary and more perks. The right educational path can also help you improve your salary outcome, too.

Computer Support Specialist Salary

The average computer support specialist salary varies depending on your experience, the company you are working for, the region in which you reside and a few other factors.

• BLS.gov reports that the median annual wage for computer user support specialists in 2018 was $50,980.
• A computer network support specialists salary average was $62,770 in 2018.
• On the upper end, highly skilled workers with post-secondary education or advanced skill sets and on the job training were earning between $46,000 and $52,000 per year.

Keep in mind that these are average salaries. Some states offer higher salary thresholds than others do, like California, where state income taxes are higher than in most states and where the cost of living is also higher. On average, the median salary for a computer support specialist is around $42,000 per year.

Other factors can improve your pay expectations. For example, an Information Technology Manager earns a median salary of  $97,665 per year. This type of a position can be homegrown from a computer support specialist job. Lots of tech companies prefer to promote from within. By setting your goals high, the sky is the limit with a career in this field.

Another benefit of working in technology is that most companies offer a handsome array of perks. For example, full medical and dental benefits are typically offered, and most companies allot paid time off as well as matching 401k plans and other types of benefits. In addition to that, some companies even offer equity positions after you’ve been with the company a certain amount of time.