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What is an information support specialist and how to become one
Information support specialists are also known as IT specialists. They offer hardware and software support to businesses or consumers. Computer systems often malfunction and IT specialists troubleshoot the problem and find appropriate solutions.
IT specialists may fix issues like slow performance, connection issues, or malfunctioning software. They may also provide online assistance via calls and emails or visit the customer's location. Businesses often hire IT Specialists as full-time staff to be available at all working hours.
IT specialists in businesses may also be responsible for updating software, installing new programs, and testing existing equipment. They may also provide training to the business' staff.
To become an IT specialist, you need a bachelor's degree in computer engineering or a related area. You'll also need skills like curiosity and logical thinking. A lot of the job is troubleshooting problems and fixing them, so you'll need to be inquisitive too.
What general advice would you give to an information support specialist?
Ranganathan Chandrasekaran
Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, University of Illinois
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.
Avg. Salary $65,414
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 10%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.46%
Asian 8.99%
Black or African American 11.39%
Hispanic or Latino 16.01%
Unknown 5.36%
White 57.79%
Genderfemale 41.08%
male 58.92%
Age - 41American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 41Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Information support specialist career paths
Key steps to become an information support specialist
Explore information support specialist education requirements
Start to develop specific information support specialist skills
Skills Percentages PC 8.65% Technical Support 8.12% Desktop Support 7.35% Troubleshoot 6.78% Computer System 4.35% Complete relevant information support specialist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New information support specialists 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 an information support specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real information support specialist resumes.Research information support specialist duties and responsibilities
- Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
- Gather data and authore requirements documents for DOD appropriations necessary to establish and maintain long short-term technology funding plan.
- Provide web development services to faculty, through the use of languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Work on Internet development including graphics preparation and HTML and JavaScript code
Prepare your information support specialist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your information support specialist resume.
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Build a professional information support specialist 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 information support specialist resume.
Apply for information support specialist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an information support specialist 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 did you land your first information support specialist job
Are you an information support specialist?
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Average information support specialist salary
The average information support specialist salary in the United States is $65,414 per year or $31 per hour. Information support specialist salaries range between $44,000 and $95,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do information support specialists rate their job?
Information support specialist reviews
You get to help a lot of people in many different ways as well as learning new things about technology
I have aids now due to the painfulness of sitting down all day
Working with The people
There was nothing to like. Everyone was polite an hard workers
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.
I don't like sitting around being inactive. So I'll keep my self always busy
Updated January 8, 2025
