They will also give you a range so you can see not just the average but what the top earners in positions like this can make. Finally, you may choose to advance your career by moving into a related field such as project management or IT management. This will require additional education and training, but it can lead to a more rewarding and challenging career. Service Desk Engineers must be able to quickly assess each situation they encounter and determine the best course of action to take. They may need to troubleshoot problems with hardware or software, explain how to use certain features, or provide information about upcoming changes to the product or service in question. WGU is an accredited online university offering online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

“Once you’ve established yourself at a company, you can ask your manager if they’d be willing to talk to a higher-level engineer or that engineer’s manager to possibly set up some time to shadow them,” Adams says. Adams explains that interdepartmental communication happens all the time in IT, particularly at companies where IT works together as a well-oiled machine. That cross pollination of sorts can be a ladder for you as you look to move forward in your career. While not every IT help desk role will have the same soft skill growth opportunities as Adams’ experience, he certainly values the chances he had. Landing one of these positions could help you on your way to a long and robust career in IT, so let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from the experience. A help desk technician’s role can actually do you—and your career—plenty of good.

Pursuing an IT career or an online IT degree.

For example, when a user has a question, the help desk technician must be able to diagnose the IT issue as well as explain the solution to the user. This article is part of an IT Career News series called Your Next Move. These articles take an inside look at the roles related How to Show Remote Work Experience on Your Resume to CompTIA certifications. Each article will include the responsibilities, qualifications, related job titles and salary range for the role. As you consider the next move in your IT career, check back with CompTIA to learn more about your job prospects and how to get there.

There may be tech-specific questions or tests that will gauge your knowledge on hardware, software, and coding basics. Training can be completed in as little as a few months and it involves gaining a thorough understanding of computer hardware and software. Additionally, these roles also benefit from courses and experiences that work on building strong communication skills. Technicians can be more of entry-level IT help desk jobs, and will generally receive lower pay and fewer benefits than an analyst. While technicians will mostly be responsible for hardware and some software repair support, analysts will often need to be able to establish and troubleshoot entire networks and servers as well.

Where can a job as a help desk technician take you?

Compare top-rated online courses and degrees in IT support and related fields. CompTIA Tech Career Academy is a 501(c)(3) subsidiary of Creating IT Futures Foundation, Inc., dba  ComptTIA Spark. As a charity established in 1998 by CompTIA, the information technology trade association, CompTIA Spark helps people improve their lives through tech careers. Keeping these things in mind, we think a focused training program makes the most sense for many people. The program we’ve created here at CompTIA Career Tech Academy is designed to give you everything you need to become a help desk technician.

• To recap, aspiring help desk analysts might find work with just a high school diploma and some experience, but many employers seek analysts who have some post-secondary education in a field such as computer science.
• Like the ITIL Foundation program, this course also offers live classroom training that can be attended in person or online.
• To be more patient, keep in mind that your end customers are not as technically savvy as you are.
• As a charity established in 1998 by CompTIA, the information technology trade association, CompTIA Spark helps people improve their lives through tech careers.

ITIL shares the best practices that are used when providing IT services to consumers. This course explains each best practice and provides exercises that help service reps master the ITIL approach. Customers come to the help desk of a business because they aren’t able to find solutions themselves.

Help Desk Engineer education

The help desk is a customer-facing role, so how you conduct yourself interpersonally is a huge factor in your success. You need to make your interactions positive, value-adding, and thought out, both in terms of how you solve problems and how you address the client before you. Take advantage of job acquisition services, such as Resume Creator and Online Reputation Builder to accelerate your search for your dream job. An Interview Coach prepares you for that crucial interaction with targeted employers—your booster rocket above the competition.

As technology becomes more widespread, businesses are using it to improve the way they do business. This includes using technology to automate tasks, such as customer service, and to connect with customers in new ways. https://g-markets.net/software-development/your-next-move-help-desk-technician/ Demand for these workers will increase as organizations continue to outsource IT services and support to reduce costs. Service desk engineers will be needed to provide support for the vendors providing these services.

How do help desk engineers rate their job?

The most recent BLS numbers, which are from 2021, indicate that computer support specialists (which would include help desk technicians and similar positions) earn an average of $27.84 per hour or $57,910 a year. Another way to advance your career is to specialize in a particular area of service desk engineering. This could involve becoming an expert in a particular type of software or hardware, or in a specific area of customer service.