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What is a configuration technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Ranganathan Chandrasekaran

Configuration Technicians are the footsoldiers of the IT team. They are responsible for installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting an organization's software and operating systems. They do all the necessary tasks needed to maintain a modern business's network, like establishing LAN for internet access, keeping software up to date, and making back-ups of all essential data.

Most employers require their Configuration Technicians to have a college diploma at the very least. We found that employed American Configuration Technicians commonly hold degrees in Computer Networking, Information Technology, and Computer Science.

On average, Configuration Technicians in the United States earn a yearly salary of roughly about $28,000. That's more or less $17 an hour. Suppose you want to cash in a bigger paycheck. In that case, you might want to look for employers that offer more competitive salaries like PwC, which pay an impressive $79,638 to their Configuration Technicians on average.

What general advice would you give to a configuration technician?

Ranganathan ChandrasekaranRanganathan Chandrasekaran LinkedIn profile

Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, University of Illinois

As we roll into another month of the COVID-19 pandemic, graduating students are facing one of the worst moments of their lives. They face several uncertainties; due to financial challenges, uncertainty about completing their degrees on time, adjusting to online and hybrid modes of learning, and worst of all, facing the worst job market. As a result, I see the stress and anxiety levels among the graduating students to be significantly higher, at levels I have not experienced in my academic career.

Several businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic, and they have rolled back their offers made to students for internships and jobs. Businesses have also resorted to downsizing and layoffs, and we are likely to see that continue, at least in the near term. However, two sectors that are showing promises of a quick turnaround are technology and healthcare.

It might take many months for the economy to get back on track, but the demand for information systems graduates is likely to grow, as a large number of businesses have turned to increased use of technology in this pandemic period. As more companies go digital, we need more professionals to manage the remote-work, technological infrastructure and meet the other demands of the business. Students pursuing education in information systems, computer science, and healthcare are going to be in greater demand.

On the positive side, the uncertainties induced by the pandemic have also helped students to prepare themselves better for a tougher job market. I found many students rise up and use the lockdown period to have a serious introspection and invest their time and effort in upgrading their knowledge and skills. The internship drought and rescinding of job/internship offers brought their dreams crashing down, but I found several students to quickly get over their disappointments, and engage in improving their skillsets utilizing the pandemic lockdown as an opportunity. I am aware of many students, especially in the information systems disciple, who spent time doing online courses, completing certification programs, and take up DIY projects on data analysis, developing analytical and forecasting models, and visualization of various aspects of the pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in massive amounts of data, released by several organizations worldwide, that have provided a stimulant for students to indulge in DIY-projects. I had several students approach me over summer to do some projects, and we have done some interesting projects using public datasets related to COVID-19.
ScoreConfiguration TechnicianUS Average
Salary
2.8

Avg. Salary $35,291

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 11.26%

Black or African American 10.64%

Hispanic or Latino 16.13%

Unknown 5.37%

White 56.20%

Gender

female 13.28%

male 86.72%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Configuration technician career paths

Key steps to become a configuration technician

  1. Explore configuration technician education requirements

    Most common configuration technician degrees

    Associate

    41.3 %

    Bachelor's

    36.2 %

    Diploma

    7.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific configuration technician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Troubleshoot10.04%
    Computer System9.81%
    Customer Service8.10%
    Technical Support5.17%
    Desktop Support5.10%
  3. Complete relevant configuration technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New configuration technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a configuration technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real configuration technician resumes.
  4. Gain additional configuration technician certifications

    Configuration technician certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific configuration technician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for configuration technicians include Certified Network Computer Technician (CNCT) and Certified Instrumentation Specialist (CIS).

    More About Certifications
  5. Research configuration technician duties and responsibilities

    • Coordinate and manage a large-scale VOIP phone system conversion project for high-profile corporate customer.
    • Create OS and software images for a wide variety of laptop hardware.
    • Work with various servers, PCs, notebooks, mobile devices and peripherals.
    • Install OS, updates, applications, images and other software to customer standards and requests as required.
  6. Prepare your configuration technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your configuration technician resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a configuration technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable configuration technician resume templates

    Build a professional configuration technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your configuration technician resume.
    Configuration Technician Resume
    Configuration Technician Resume
    Configuration Technician Resume
    Configuration Technician Resume
    Configuration Technician Resume
    Configuration Technician Resume
    Configuration Technician Resume
    Configuration Technician Resume
    Configuration Technician Resume
  7. Apply for configuration technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a configuration technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first configuration technician job

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Average configuration technician salary

The average configuration technician salary in the United States is $35,291 per year or $17 per hour. Configuration technician salaries range between $26,000 and $47,000 per year.

Average configuration technician salary
$35,291 Yearly
$16.97 hourly

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Configuration technician reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
Pros

You get to help a lot of people in many different ways as well as learning new things about technology

Cons

I have aids now due to the painfulness of sitting down all day


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A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Pros

Hardware engineer


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

I decided to go to technical support because I've been fascinated by technology all my life and I love working with the people as well. I want to use my technical know-how to solve directly the problems that customers have. I want to be the person who makes life easier and more enjoyable for people who have had a problem. This is what I like most as a technical Support.

Cons

I don't like sitting around being inactive. So I'll keep my self always busy


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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