Career Option:
Technical Support |
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Description
• Provide technical assistance, support, and advice to customers
and other users.
•
Interpret problems and provide technical support for hardware, software,
and systems.
•
Analyze problems using automated diagnostic programs.
•
Install, modify, clean, and repair computer software and hardware.
•
Answer phone calls and e-mail messages from customers seeking guidance
on technical problems.
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Wages
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Skills
• Problem-solving
•
Analytical
•
Good communication skills (on the phone, email, and in person)
•
Listening and investigating skills
•
Friendly and enjoy working with people
•
Patience
•
Flexibility
•
Knowledge of the software and hardware customers use
•
Creative |
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About the Job
Technical Support personnel are responsible for ensuring
that a company is using their computer resources wisely and efficiently.
They help customers fix problems either by consulting with them over
the phone or by actually performing the repairs at the customer's site. |
Illinois Job Codes
| 11-3021.00 |
Computer
and Information Systems Managers |
| 15-1031.00 |
Computer
Software Engineers, Applications |
| 15-1032.00 |
Computer
Software Engineers, Systems Software |
| 15-1041.00 |
Computer
Support Specialists |
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Sample Career Path
"I’ve been in the information technology
field for a very long time. In college I took an introductory class
in computers and decided that information technology was a good career
choice for me. I earned a BS
and MS in Computer Science and have been working in the field ever since." --
Jackie
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Job Advantages:
Technical Support positions interface
with all levels of company administration. Providing technical support
is viewed as an essential business function.
Job Disadvantages:
Technical Support personnel must be able to deal
with persons who are in stressful situations. They may be required
to work a
varied scheduled and be on-call periodically.
Transferable Skills:
Transferring knowledge and understanding of
how products work and how customers react to the product is useful
to Technical
Support.
An understanding of customers' concerns and problems is a valuable
asset that can be leveraged for jobs in product design and development.
In
the IT field, Enterprise Systems can use their customer interaction
skills in Technical Support.
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Typical Work Day
” I find it rewarding to help customers with their problems.
You have to ask a lot of questions and be able to analyze the software
code
to see
if you can find the problem. It is very satisfying when you
finally ‘solve
the case,’ and figure out the true cause of the problem.
One of the biggest challenges of technical support is being
on-call over holidays,
weekends, and in the evenings—especially when the customers
are in different countries and time zones. My work is constantly
changing. I enjoy
learning new technology. I get bored easily if my work starts
becoming redundant.”-- Jackie
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Education
| • Illinois Universities |
| • Community Colleges |
o Black Hawk College
o Carl Sandburg College
o City Colleges of Chicago
o College of DuPage
o College of Lake County
o Elgin Community College
o Harper College
o Highland Community College
o Illinois Central College
o Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
o Illinois Valley Community College
o Joliet Junior College
o Lake Land College
o Lewis & Clark Community College
o Lincoln Land Community College
o John A. Logan College
o McHenry County College
o Moraine Valley Community College
o Morton College
o Oakton Community College
o Parkland College
o Prairie State College
o Rend Lake College
o Richland Community College
o Rock Valley College
o Shawnee Community College
o Southwestern Community College
o Spoon River College
o Triton College
o Waubonsee Community College
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Computer and Information Systems Managers 
