Become An Information Technology Specialist

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Working As An Information Technology Specialist

Interacting With Computers
Getting Information
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

$82,000
Average Salary

What Does An Information Technology Specialist Do

An Information Technology Specialist installs, updates, and makes minor repairs to personal computer hardware and software systems. They provide technical support to a business or organization's employees and train non-technical workers on the business's information systems.

How To Become An Information Technology Specialist

Because of the wide range of skills used in different computer support jobs, there are many paths into the occupation. A bachelor’s degree is required for some computer support specialist positions, but an associate’s degree or postsecondary classes may be enough for others.

Education

Education requirements for computer support specialists vary. Computer user support specialist jobs require some computer knowledge, but not necessarily a postsecondary degree. Applicants who have taken some computer-related classes are often qualified. For computer network support specialists, many employers accept applicants with an associate’s degree, although some prefer applicants to have a bachelor’s degree.

Large software companies that provide support to business users who buy their products or services often require a bachelor’s degree. Positions that are more technical are likely to require a degree in a field such as computer science, engineering, or information science, but for others, the applicant’s field of study is less important.

To keep up with changes in technology, many computer support specialists continue their education throughout their careers.

Certification

Certification programs are generally offered by vendors or from vendor-neutral certification providers. Certification validates the knowledge of and best practices required by computer support specialists. Companies may require their computer support specialists to hold certifications in the products the companies use.

Advancement

Many computer support specialists advance to other information technology positions, such as network and computer systems administrators and software developers. Some become managers in the computer support services department. Some organizations provide paths for support specialists to move into other parts of the organization, such as sales. For more information, see the profiles on network and computer systems administrators and software developers.

Important Qualities

Customer-service skills. Computer support specialists must be patient and sympathetic. They must often help people who are frustrated with the software or hardware they are trying to use.

Listening skills. Support workers must be able to understand the problems that their customers are describing and know when to ask questions to clarify the situation.

Problem-solving skills. Support workers must identify both simple and complex computer problems, analyze them, and solve them.

Speaking skills. Support workers must describe the solutions to computer problems in a way that a nontechnical person can understand.

Writing skills. Strong writing skills are useful for preparing instructions and email responses for employees and customers, as well as real-time web chat interactions.

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Information Technology Specialist jobs

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Information Technology Specialist Demographic

Gender

Male
75.5%
Female
22.3%
Unknown
2.3%

Ethnicity

White
75.6%
Hispanic or Latino
11.5%
Asian
9.4%
Unknown
2.7%
Black or African American
0.8%

Languages Spoken

Spanish
46.0%
French
11.2%
German
5.7%
Arabic
5.4%
Chinese
4.3%
Russian
4.1%
Mandarin
3.2%
Italian
3.0%
Japanese
3.0%
Korean
2.4%
Portuguese
2.4%
Hindi
1.5%
Urdu
1.3%
Carrier
1.1%
Cantonese
1.1%
Vietnamese
1.0%
Polish
0.9%
Hebrew
0.8%
Turkish
0.8%
Greek
0.8%

Information Technology Specialist

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Information Technology Specialist Typical Career Paths

Average Length of Employment

Senior Information Technology Specialist 4.4 years
Senior Information Technology Administrator 4.1 years
Manager Information Technology Specialist 4.0 years
Information Technology Professional 4.0 years
Senior Information Technology Engineer 3.9 years
Information Technology Specialist Lead 3.7 years
Information Technology Systems Director 3.5 years
Information Technology Administrator 3.1 years
Information Technology Generalist 3.0 years
Information Technology Specialist 3.0 years
Head Of Information Systems And Data Processing 2.8 years
Information Technology Consultant 2.8 years
Information Systems Technician 2.7 years
Information Technology Technician 2.6 years
Information Technology/Support Technician 2.3 years
Information Technology Internship 0.6 years

Top Careers Before Information Technology Specialist

Top Careers After Information Technology Specialist

Systems Administrator 13.2%
Technical Support Specialist 9.9%
Information Technology Manager 7.0%
Network Administrator 5.8%
Information Technology Consultant 5.4%
Systems Engineer 5.4%
Information Technology Technician 5.3%
Project Manager 5.2%
Information Systems Technician 5.2%
Computer Technician 4.7%
Network Technician 4.6%
Network Engineer 4.5%
Consultant 3.9%
Help Desk Analyst 3.1%
Business Analyst 3.0%
Customer Service Representative 2.9%
Information Technology Analyst 2.8%
Systems Analyst 2.8%
Information Technology Project Manager 2.8%
Team Leader 2.7%

Information Technology Specialist Education

Schools

University of Phoenix
21.2%
University of Maryland - University College
12.8%
Strayer University
9.2%
Community College of the Air Force
5.0%
George Mason University
4.7%
Western Governors University
4.6%
Northern Virginia Community College
4.1%
Kaplan University
4.0%
Capella University
3.8%
American InterContinental University
3.7%
American University
3.0%
Colorado Technical University
3.0%
Pennsylvania State University
3.0%
University of Maryland - College Park
2.9%
Webster University
2.9%
George Washington University
2.9%
University of Houston
2.5%
Central Texas College
2.4%
Southern New Hampshire University
2.3%
Ashford University
2.2%

Majors

Degrees

Bachelors
41.9%
Other
20.3%
Masters
16.3%
Associate
14.9%
Certificate
4.3%
Diploma
1.2%
Doctorate
1.0%
License
0.1%

Information Technology Specialist

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Real Information Technology Specialist Salaries

Job Title	Company	Location	Start Date	Salary
IT Specialist/Vp	Goldman Sachs Services LLC	Jersey City, NJ	Jul 30, 2015	$179,400 - $225,000
IT Specialist, VP	Goldman Sachs Services LLC	Jersey City, NJ	Sep 21, 2015	$174,900 - $183,600
Consulting IT Specialist	IBM Corporation	Cambridge, MA	Jul 07, 2015	$155,000
Consulting IT Specialist	IBM Corporation	Indianapolis, IN	Jun 09, 2015	$155,000
Consulting IT Specialist	IBM Corporation	Brookline, MA	Jun 09, 2015	$155,000
Consulting IT Specialist	IBM Corporation	Hartford, CT	Jun 09, 2015	$155,000
IT Specialist, Technology Solutions	TD Securities (USA) LLC	New York, NY	Mar 15, 2016	$151,500
Consulting IT Specialist	IBM Corporation	Mooresville, NC	Apr 22, 2016	$148,560
Consulting IT Specialist	IBM Corporation	Coppell, TX	Apr 22, 2016	$148,560
SAP IT Specialist Technical	Abbott Laboratories	Parkersburg, IL	Sep 24, 2015	$147,576
Consulting IT Specialist Manager	IBM Corporation	Edison, NJ	Oct 29, 2015	$142,040
Compliance IT Application Specialist II	MUFG Union Bank, N.A.	Jersey City, NJ	Jul 28, 2016	$138,500
IT Specialist	IBM Corporation	San Ramon, CA	Nov 19, 2015	$138,050
IT Specialist/Engineer 4	Southern California Edison	Irwindale, CA	Oct 02, 2016	$138,000
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Montvale, NJ	Jun 22, 2015	$81,315
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Wayne, NJ	Feb 05, 2016	$81,315 - $82,185
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Englewood Cliffs, NJ	Jul 23, 2015	$81,315
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Wayne, NJ	Mar 05, 2016	$81,315 - $82,185
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Wayne, NJ	Apr 05, 2016	$81,315 - $82,185
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Wayne, NJ	May 17, 2016	$81,315 - $82,185
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Englewood Cliffs, NJ	Jul 30, 2015	$81,315
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	New York, NY	Jul 19, 2016	$81,315 - $82,187
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Houston, TX	Jun 22, 2015	$73,033
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Houston, TX	Mar 14, 2016	$73,033 - $74,825
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Houston, TX	Aug 10, 2015	$73,033
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Houston, TX	Jul 09, 2015	$73,033
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Houston, TX	Feb 08, 2016	$73,033 - $74,825
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Houston, TX	Jul 20, 2016	$73,033 - $74,825
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Houston, TX	Jul 29, 2016	$73,033 - $74,825
IT Specialist	IBM India Private Limited	Houston, TX	Jun 02, 2015	$73,033

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Top Skills for An Information Technology Specialist

Top Information Technology Specialist Skills

Computer Hardware
Customer Service
Active Directory

You can check out examples of real life uses of top skills on resumes here:

Handle the installation, configuration and troubleshooting of microcomputer hardware, software applications and peripheral equipment.
Provided technical and customer service to customers within the Office of Administrative Services organization.
Worked on network problems regarding Active Directory.
Develop procedures and guidelines for implementation and management of network administration.
Provided help desk support for up to 50 employees.