How To Become A Desktop Support Contractor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a desktop support contractor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Kate Marek Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a desktop support contractor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.14 an hour? That's $43,977 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 83,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a desktop support contractor?

Kate Marek Ph.D.

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.

ScoreDesktop Support ContractorUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,977

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 10.88%

Black or African American 10.70%

Hispanic or Latino 16.29%

Unknown 5.38%

White 56.33%

Gender

female 8.38%

male 91.62%

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

Key steps to become a desktop support contractor

Explore desktop support contractor education requirements

Most common desktop support contractor degrees

Bachelor's

50.7 %

Associate

37.9 %

Master's

4.1 %

Start to develop specific desktop support contractor skills

Skills	Percentages
Desktop Support	9.42%
Laptop Computers	7.53%
PC	7.38%
Remote Desktop	7.01%
Network Printers	6.44%

Complete relevant desktop support contractor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New desktop support contractors 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 desktop support contractor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real desktop support contractor resumes.

Research desktop support contractor duties and responsibilities

Manage special projects, test and troubleshoot applications, images, etc.
Manage LAN infrastructure configuring and maintaining all network hardware devices.
Resolve hardware (PC, peripherals, network) and software issues.
Re-Establish a stable state for the PC and users.

Prepare your desktop support contractor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your desktop support contractor 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 desktop support contractor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable desktop support contractor resume templates

Build a professional desktop support contractor 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 desktop support contractor resume.