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What is a desk support technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted Experts
Kate Marek Ph.D.,
Oriehi Destiny Anyaiwe
introduction image

As a desk support technician, your job is to provide support to end-users for system or device issues. You are to identify, research, and resolve technical problems of moderate complexity. Your duties are to manage desk support tickets in a well-timed manner and respond to customer issues via phone, email, or computer chat. You also need to track and monitor the problem using appropriate systems and tools, provide customer assistance, document customer interactions, install, make changes, and repair computer hardware and software. You may also coordinate with other teams or departments to solve user problems and follow-up with customers to ensure they are resolved.

You need a bachelor's degree and one to three years of related experience for this role. You should be available to work steady overtime and diagnose and resolve basic computer technical issues. You must be able to keep detailed notes on support desk tickets, stay highly organized, and possess communication skills. Your average annual salary will be $54,095.

What general advice would you give to a Desk Support Technician?

Kate Marek Ph.D.Kate Marek Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

Director and Professor, Dominican University

Choose an organization in tune with one's values. Look for a job in growth areas, such as data asset management, data analysis, etc.
ScoreDesk Support TechnicianUS Average
Salary
3.2

Avg. Salary $40,715

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 11.67%

Black or African American 11.27%

Hispanic or Latino 16.26%

Unknown 5.38%

White 55.00%

Gender

female 17.41%

male 82.59%

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
6.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
7.4

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Desk Support Technician career paths

Key steps to become a desk support technician

  1. Explore desk support technician education requirements

    Most common desk support technician degrees

    Bachelor's

    48.3 %

    Associate

    33.2 %

    High School Diploma

    7.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific desk support technician skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service11.49%
    Technical Support8.41%
    Troubleshoot7.09%
    Phone Calls5.08%
    Desk Side Support4.61%
  3. Complete relevant desk support technician training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New desk support 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 desk support technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real desk support technician resumes.
  4. Research desk support technician duties and responsibilities

    • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
    • Use multiple monitor setup display and remote desktop applications via VPN to access associate computers.
    • Utilize desktop deployment tools in order to deploy and maintain inventory for PCs, monitors, and printers.
    • Assist with network connectivity with PCs, laptops, and mobile phones including TCP/IP settings and internet connections.
  5. Prepare your desk support technician resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your desk support 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 desk support 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 Desk Support Technician Resume templates

    Build a professional Desk Support 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 Desk Support Technician resume.
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  6. Apply for desk support technician jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a desk support 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 Desk Support Technician Job

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Average desk support technician salary

The average Desk Support Technician salary in the United States is $40,715 per year or $20 per hour. Desk support technician salaries range between $26,000 and $62,000 per year.

Average Desk Support Technician Salary
$40,715 Yearly
$19.57 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do desk support technicians rate their job?

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Desk Support Technician reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
Cons

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

Pros

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


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022
Cons

There was nothing to like. Everyone was polite an hard workers

Pros

Working with The people


profile
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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