How To Become A Help Desk Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a help desk assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Kate Marek Ph.D.

The average help desk assistant salary is $28,262. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a help desk assistant. Help desk assistants with a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) certification earn more money. 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 help desk assistant?

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.

ScoreHelp Desk AssistantUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $28,262

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 11.46%

Black or African American 12.17%

Hispanic or Latino 15.83%

Unknown 5.35%

White 54.77%

Gender

female 46.63%

male 53.37%

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

Key steps to become a help desk assistant

Explore help desk assistant education requirements

Most common help desk assistant degrees

Bachelor's

50.6 %

Associate

22.0 %

High School Diploma

15.8 %

Start to develop specific help desk assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Computer Lab	10.07%
Customer Service	9.55%
Desk Support	7.93%
Help Desk	5.30%
Help-Desk Support	4.27%

Complete relevant help desk assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New help desk assistants 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 help desk assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real help desk assistant resumes.

Research help desk assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage the PC refresh program transferring all user data remotely and installing require software applications.
Produce legal proposals, memorandum agreements and PowerPoint presentations.
Create PowerPoint presentations used for business development.manage daily office operations and maintenance of equipment.
Analyze networking problems concerning LAN architecture and constructed/ran cable to support lab expansion projects.

Prepare your help desk assistant resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable help desk assistant resume templates

Build a professional help desk assistant 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 help desk assistant resume.

Apply for help desk assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a help desk assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

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

How do help desk assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Help desk assistant reviews

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

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

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

I enjoy the challenges and learning new things . Technology is always evolving.

Cons

Customer is unwilling to provide you with necessary information in order to assist them.

What is a help desk assistant and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a help desk assistant?

Help desk assistant career paths

Key steps to become a help desk assistant

Explore help desk assistant education requirements

Most common help desk assistant degrees

Start to develop specific help desk assistant skills

Complete relevant help desk assistant training and internships

Research help desk assistant duties and responsibilities

Prepare your help desk assistant resume

Choose from 10+ customizable help desk assistant resume templates

Apply for help desk assistant jobs

How did you land your first help desk assistant job

Average help desk assistant salary

How do help desk assistants rate their job?

Help desk assistant reviews