If you are interested in technology and computers but also enjoy interacting with people, a career as a repair and technical support technician could be a great fit. Persons interested in becoming a repair and technical support technician need:

• In-depth understanding of how computers function
• Strong problem-solving
• Analytical skills

Troubleshooting and helping others are both vital parts of the job, so repair and technical support technicians must be effective communicators.

They constantly interact with other computer personnel, customers, and employees, and as a result, repair and technical support technicians must be able to effectively communicate on paper, via e-mail, and in person.

In addition, strong writing skills are useful in preparing instruction manuals for employees and customers. Repair and technical support technicians have a wide range of duties which allows for a great deal of variety within the job.

Due to the wide range of skills required, there are many ways in which to begin a career as a repair and technical support technician. While some jobs may require only a computer-related associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree in computer science or information systems is often a prerequisite.

For systems administrator positions, many employers seek applicants with bachelor’s degrees, although not necessarily in a computer-related field. As technology continues to improve, computer support specialists and systems administrators must keep their skills current and acquire new abilities.

Due to the fact that repair and technical support technicians often must undergo up to date training, many continuing education programs are offered that can augment one’s skills and advancement opportunities.

Job prospects for repair and technical support technicians are projected to keep increasing, but should be best for college graduates who are up to date with the latest skills and technologies. This is particularly true for individuals that also have relevant work or internship experience in addition.

Employers will find repair and technical support technicians that have a firm grasp of fundamental computer skills along with excellent communication skills especially desirable. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual earnings of computer support specialists in May of 2004 were $40,430 annually. The middle 50 percent of salaries varied between $30,980 and $53,010 a year.

Technical support managers are in charge of monitoring computer usage and responsible for assisting individuals experiencing technical difficulties. They oversee the daily performance of their company’s computer systems which may include evaluating the usefulness of software programs.

Technical support technicians may answer telephone calls from their organizations’ computer users and typically run automatic diagnostics programs to resolve issues that arise. Technical support technicians:

• Install
• Clean
• Repair computer hardware
• Repair computer hardware and software
• Train computer users in how to use new computer hardware and software

In addition, a number of technical support managers are responsible for writing training manuals in order to best educate the members of the business for which they work.

Computer repair technicians have a wide assortment of responsibilities which may include:

• Building or configuring new hardware
• Installing and updating software packages
• Creating and maintaining computer networks
• Troubleshooting computer users problems

Computer repair technicians can work in a variety of settings, nevertheless, all computer technicians perform similar physical and investigative processes. Technical support is the main function of a repair technician, but they are not limited to this role. Experienced technicians might choose to focus on a single specialization in fields such as data recovery, system administration, or information systems.

Application support technicians provide assistance, advice, problem solving, and technical information to customers regarding the use of software applications. They are also responsible for:

• Scheduling
• Coordinating
• Participating in the production
• Quality assurance
• Delivery of output reports and data

Application support technicians act as a liaison for employees or customers, ensuring that they find assistance with service or problem resolutions from appropriate staff members. They are mainly responsible for assuring that they are able to meets the needs and demands of computer users.

Information systems managers must understand and analyze people, technologies, and procedures in order to solve business problems most effectively. Information systems managers are in charge of information systems that they are used to analyze operational activities within an organization.

Information systems are used to analyze complex information such as data and statistics in order to best support human decision making. Information systems managers are in charge of understanding the information produced by these often complex programs and assist in interpreting and explaining the findings.

Computer support specialists provide technical assistance, support, and advice to computer users. They interpret and troubleshoot problems and provide technical support for:

• hardware
• software
• computer systems

Computer support specialists often work at computer “help desks” or for support services. They deal with computer users’ questions both in person over the telephone. Once they have a general understanding of the difficulty, computer support specialists then analyze problems by using automated diagnostic programs in order to best resolve recurring issues.