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Job outlook for software support technicians in the United States
Software support technician job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected software support technician job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 83,100 new jobs for software support technicians are projected over the next decade.
Software support technician salaries have increased 9% for software support technicians in the last 5 years.
There are over 301,019 software support technicians currently employed in the United States.
There are 117,059 active software support technician job openings in the US.
The average software support technician salary is $79,670.
Are software support technician jobs in demand?
Software support technician job and salary trends over time
Software support technician jobs over time
Software support technician job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 301,019 | 0.09% |
| 2020 | 336,733 | 0.10% |
| 2019 | 298,951 | 0.09% |
| 2018 | 204,604 | 0.06% |
| 2017 | 197,256 | 0.06% |
Average software support technician salary over time
Software support technician salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $79,670 | $38.30 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $77,044 | $37.04 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $75,300 | $36.20 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $74,163 | $35.66 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $72,952 | $35.07 | +1.6% |
Software support technician jobs by state
Most common states for software support technicians
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 312 | 45% |
| 2 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 321 | 37% |
| 3 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 537 | 26% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 330 | 25% |
| 5 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 649 | 22% |
| 6 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 1,005 | 20% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,103 | 19% |
| 8 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,068 | 17% |
| 9 | Louisiana | 4,684,333 | 784 | 17% |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 682 | 17% |
| 11 | Ohio | 11,658,609 | 1,859 | 16% |
| 12 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,208 | 16% |
| 13 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 695 | 16% |
| 14 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 453 | 15% |
| 15 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 266 | 15% |
| 16 | Vermont | 623,657 | 92 | 15% |
| 17 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 436 | 14% |
| 18 | California | 39,536,653 | 5,107 | 13% |
| 19 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,338 | 13% |
| 20 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 806 | 13% |
Most common cities for software support technicians
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newark | 4 | 12% | $79,146 |
| 2 | Juneau | 2 | 6% | $45,739 |
| 3 | Iowa City | 4 | 5% | $52,041 |
| 4 | Dover | 2 | 5% | $79,232 |
| 5 | Hartford | 2 | 2% | $72,409 |
| 6 | Lansing | 2 | 2% | $62,972 |
| 7 | Topeka | 2 | 2% | $57,922 |
| 8 | Atlanta | 4 | 1% | $59,759 |
| 9 | Denver | 4 | 1% | $61,230 |
| 10 | Baton Rouge | 2 | 1% | $65,591 |
| 11 | Little Rock | 2 | 1% | $55,939 |
| 12 | Tallahassee | 2 | 1% | $52,552 |
| 13 | Urban Honolulu | 2 | 1% | $57,027 |
| 14 | Chicago | 3 | 0% | $59,713 |
| 15 | Phoenix | 3 | 0% | $77,944 |
| 16 | San Jose | 3 | 0% | $105,870 |
| 17 | Boston | 2 | 0% | $75,816 |
| 18 | Dallas | 2 | 0% | $63,000 |
| 19 | Sacramento | 2 | 0% | $105,689 |
Software Support Technician job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of software support technician experts
Texas A&M University San Antonio
University of West Florida
University of Washington
Arizona State University
American University
SUNY Oswego
George Washington University
Rowan University
Arizona State University
SUNY at Binghamton
Siena College
DePaul University
University of Alabama at Huntsville
Troy University
California Northstate University
Lawrence Technological University
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Grand Valley State University
Tiffin University
What general advice would you give to a Software Support Technician?
Jason Nichols PhD: The business environment is very dynamic right now, especially with regards to technology, and specifically with regards to AI. The advice remains the same through this however - stay curious, and always be learning. AI requires infrastructure, and lots of it. It also requires data. Lots of that as well. Businesses won’t be successful with AI unless they are able to efficiently and dynamically expand, configure, and adjust their infrastructure in support of its implementation. They also won’t be successful unless they have a solid plan for data storage, management and security. They need your help with this, and your training has prepared you to provide this type of support. This is an exciting time to be an Information Systems Professional. You are helping to shape the future of work, and the role of technology within the modern business enterprise. We are all counting on you, your company is counting on you, and you are up for this challenge and the emergent opportunities it brings.
What will help Software Support Technicians increase their earning potential?
Jason Nichols PhD: Build your experience base through internships and industry projects, and brag about these experiences when you interview. Collect professional certificates to compliment your degree. Security and cloud computing are excellent areas to pursue these in right now. AI and machine learning as well, of course. Build a structured skillset in problem solving and critical thinking, and demonstrate this skillset in your discussions with future employers. Map all of these efforts into a coherent story about yourself in your applications, and how they have shaped you to be a tech-savvy business problem solver, with a strong understanding of both the business and the technology. This foundation prepares you for so very many roles in our field, and businesses recognize and actively seek out this profile in their job candidates. Use the resources available to you. If you need additional time for more formal training, join a masters program. Join us for a masters program, actually. Our AI in Business masters program is launching this Fall, and is open for enrollment currently. Visit us here to learn more: https://wpcarey.asu.edu/masters-programs/ai-business
Robert Vinaja Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Computer Information SystemsTexas A&M University San Antonio
Computer Information Systems Department
What skills stand out on Software Support Technician resumes?
Robert Vinaja Ph.D.: The skills that stand out will depend on the job position you apply for. I do not think there is a set of universal skills that will stand out for any job. Instead, your resume skills must match the expected requirements for a specific job.
What soft skills should all Software Support Technicians possess?
Robert Vinaja Ph.D.: -Ability to work as part of a team.
-Attention to detail.
-Problem-solving and analytical skills.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Software Support Technicians?
Robert Vinaja Ph.D.: -Programming.
-Understand algorithms and data structures.
What skills will help Software Support Technicians earn the most?
Robert Vinaja Ph.D.: My personal view is that instead of following the skills that command higher salaries, one should focus on a field that you like and feel at ease with. Instead of following the money, one should follow your heart, and money will eventually follow.
Dr. Thomas Gilbar Ph.D.
Chair and LecturerUniversity of West Florida
Electrical and Computer Engineering
What hard/technical skills are most important for Software Support Technicians?
Dr. Thomas Gilbar Ph.D.: There are quite a few hard/technical skills that are important for Computer Engineers. We've found a lot of managers are looking for comfort in a variety of programming languages, including C++, C#, Java, Python, etc. Also, try to have a background in a variety of operating systems (certainly windows and mac, but also having experience on Apple iOS, Android, and even Linux will give you a leg up on the competition). Having at least some experience in data/cyber security is also important these days. On the hardware side, programming and applying microcontrollers and VHDL/Verilog programming are extremely important. VLSI design is also a nice addition to skill sets, though in most cases, not a deal-breaker. Circuit and electronic design are also very important skills to supplement your microcontroller skills.
Rania Hussein Ph.D.
Associate Teaching ProfessorUniversity of Washington
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
What soft skills should all Software Support Technicians possess?
Rania Hussein Ph.D.: Being coachable, know how to learn and figure things out, effective communication skills, continuous self-development.
Robert Rucker
LecturerArizona State University
School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering
What skills stand out on Software Support Technician resumes?
Robert Rucker: Being articulate/communicative is a real positive - being able to write up a coherent report is a big plus.
What soft skills should all Software Support Technicians possess?
Robert Rucker: Being able to learn a new technology very quickly is critical since that is what my students encounter.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Software Support Technicians?
Robert Rucker: From step 2, knowing a particular technology very well may not match the employer's needs, so there is a real need to articulate principles (the hard part of education). For example:
1. Need to know how to design and implement ( or contribute to) a 'principled' information base (this is a skill my students encounter routinely)
a. Designing an information system requires knowing multiple levels of analysis and synthesis
- I teach the undergrad and graduate levels of database
( I have been teaching' conceptual level modeling --- using Object role modeling ( this is a layer above ER and relational, and has been underappreciated IMO
b. relational level analysis using SQL
implementational level using T-SQL
c. NoSQL using Couchbase and SQL++ and hence the key-value mode of storage
implementation ( SQL + NoSQL seem essential in this world of federated databases !)
d. Of course, there is the underlying substrate of approaching an info task in the first place!
2. For what it's worth, I also teach big data. Again, finding (understanding) and exemplifying the principles underlying the algorithms and data development is crucial.
Anthony Baron
Teaching Assistant, Associate Software EngineerAmerican University
What skills stand out on Software Support Technician resumes?
Anthony Baron: For new graduates, the main skills that stand would definitely include which programming languages (Java, JavaScript, Python, etc.) have been used along with a depth of knowledge, which frameworks and libraries (React, Django, Flask, etc.) were used throughout projects and internships, and showing work experience. Most introductory and required courses will teach programming languages but do not always teach frameworks, which is why I would always recommend people to do personal projects and internships throughout college. Many positions at the entry-level are often very general. However, positions that are looking for specifics will look for certain skills and experience. For example, positions looking more towards web development would be more interested in whether a user used frameworks used to build websites. Showing leadership and trustworthiness is also a helpful skill to stand out via work experience and university clubs.
What soft skills should all Software Support Technicians possess?
Anthony Baron: The main soft skills I would say are needed for Computer Science software engineering are patience, perseverance, creativity, respect, teamwork, and openness to learning and teaching. Programming involves a lot of trial and error, researching, and learning better techniques for solving a problem. Due to this, patience and perseverance to reach the final goal in mind are crucial. When it comes to the learning aspect, there are many languages, frameworks, and libraries, and working with them involves a steeper learning curve than others. On top of this, there are often more elegant ways to program a solution, and many new frameworks and libraries are released throughout the industry. This is where patience and perseverance is also a virtue. Lastly, programming and creating a product are often done in teams, where working together and learning from each other is important.
What skills will help Software Support Technicians earn the most?
Anthony Baron: By earning, do you mean financially, career-wise, or most growth? Career-wise, it really depends on what the final goal is. For web developers, learning the programming languages and frameworks for web development would be the way to go. In general, any experience with programming and knowing a little about a lot will be helpful. Having top-level theory knowledge (some but not in-depth) is also very helpful. It will help you better understand what is happening under the hood and determine which methods are more efficient than others. Financially, it really depends on what skills are most in-demand today. Also, getting a Masters opens doors to more job opportunities, and in some companies, allows for a pay increase. However, this is not the case everywhere.
What type of skills will young Software Support Technicians need?
Mario Bkassiny Ph.D.: In addition to their academic skills, young graduates should be able to effectively communicate across multiple platforms and be able to adapt to changing work environments. Given the various means of communications and collaborations that are available nowadays, young graduates should be able to clearly express their ideas either in a video conference or through the traditional email communications. Effective communication will be essential to succeed as a member of any engineering team.
What general advice would you give to a Software Support Technician?
Mario Bkassiny Ph.D.: Young graduates should continuously seek every learning opportunity to enhance their professional skills. With the fast growth of engineering technology, it is important for engineers to remain up to date with the most recent innovations in their fields. The learning process does not stop at graduation, but instead, it extends beyond college to the workplace where engineers can gain expert knowledge in their fields.
What technical skills for a Software Support Technician stand out to employers?
Dr. Matthew Shirrell Ph.D.: I believe that technical skills are less important to employers in the field of educational leadership than are dispositions, experiences, and orientations to the work. School districts and others in the field of education are not necessarily looking for leaders with a set of particular technical skills, in my experience, beyond the obvious understanding of the nuts and bolts of school administration and some experience with instructional leadership. If the last year has shown anything, it is that the entire circumstances of schooling can change very quickly and unexpectedly. Potential leaders who have shown the ability and willingness to adapt to changing circumstances, whatever they may be, will be particularly valued, I think, by the job market in years to come. In addition, leaders' backgrounds, training, and understanding of the areas I previously described- technology; cultural, racial, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity; and children's socio-emotional development - will all be valued by employers in the field.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Software Support Technician job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Matthew Shirrell Ph.D.: The market for educational leaders will remain strong, overall, but the skills that are valued by the job market may shift to some extent. I think that, given the pandemic and other events of the past year, there will be several areas in which job seekers in the field of educational leadership will be in particular demand. First, the past year has seen deep disruptions to schooling, and educational leaders have had to adapt and improvise to meet changing demands. One area in which this has taken place has been in educational leaders' work to ensure equitable and efficient access to online learning for all students and families. I believe that educational leaders with strong backgrounds, training, and understanding of educational technology will be particularly valued in the job market in coming years. Given the events of the past year, there will also continue to be a particular focus on diversity in the field. This will involve recruiting and retaining more diverse leaders, but also an increased attention to leaders' training around issues of diversity. I believe that job seekers who have strong training that has prepared them to work with and support an increasingly diverse student population will have an advantage in the job market. Finally, the trauma that the pandemic has inflicted on many children and families will make the job of educational leaders particularly important in the coming years. I believe that prospective leaders who understand socio-emotional development, and how schools can support the socio-emotional health of students and families, will also be well-positioned in the job market in the years to come.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Software Support Technicians?
Patricia Coughlan: Human communication has experienced a paradigm shift due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Overly reliant "face to face" communication has shifted to embrace, even reluctantly, tech mediated communication. Yes, before the pandemic some of society was comfortable with emails and mobile phone use, while youthful society was more active on smartphones and social media, but now most everyone is experimenting and getting better at virtual communication. When the Oxford English Dictionary announced that it was not choosing one "Word of the Year" in 2020 but instead listed a series of words that reflect major societal change, it was not surprising to find many words related to workplace communication.
Words including unmute, remote, remotely, were up from previous years' usage by 300% or more (Collins, 2020). Plus, new words were coined and quickly became common place; Have you Zoomed? Were you Zoombombed? Clearly the popularity of workplace communication in our everyday speech shows that attitudes towards tech mediated communication has changed. The hesitance of both employers and jobseekers towards tech-mediated communication is no more. The barriers to using online professional resources or hosting/attending virtual events has diminished and is altering our notion of workspace and carbon footprints. Employers and jobseekers are seeing the potential benefits for maintaining brand relevance, posting timely information, and career networking. A new willingness to use tech is improving site navigation and personal online savviness. Competition in the workplace is now driven by deliberate acts of communication. Jobseekers are more conscious in the information they post.
Employers vet their job postings for accuracy and expectations to entice the most competitive of candidates. The ability at all hours of the day to seek jobs and hire employees from diverse global locations and times zones creates a cosmopolitan workforce. At the minimum, a best of all worlds approach that integrates tech-mediated platforms with "in person" components may exist after COVID-19 distancing restrictions are lifted. Future job opportunities will be better served through tech mediated communication platforms.
Collins, Barry. (2020). Zoom zings into the oxford dictionary words of the year. Forbes. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2020/11/23/zoom-zings-into-the-oxford-dictionary-words-of-the-year/?sh=5e8b0d78a465
Hemanth Kumar Demakethepalli Venkateswara Ph.D.
Assistant Research ProfessorArizona State University
School of Computing Informatics
What will help Software Support Technicians increase their earning potential?
Hemanth Kumar Demakethepalli Venkateswara Ph.D.: Technology is always rapidly changing. A tried and tested approach to improve professionally is by updating oneself through a process of life-long learning. For example, in the AI field, a researcher updates themselves by attending top-tier AI conferences, reading the latest publications from top-tier conferences, re-implementing the results published in a paper, testing out new libraries that are published, and attempting to generate new ideas. A similar approach can be applied to other areas as well.
What's a day at work look like for a Software Support Technician?
Alexey Kolmogorov Ph.D.: I have been in touch with a few BU graduates who joined strong PhD programs last summer. Their experience is consistent with what we see in our department: experimental groups have been indeed affected by lab access regulations but theoretical/computational groups have adapted to the remote work quite naturally.
What will help Software Support Technicians increase their earning potential?
Alexey Kolmogorov Ph.D.: I think the biggest impact on the academic research has been the lack of in-person conferences. Online conferences are useful but they are missing a traditionally important element for the development of young researchers, which is students' informal interaction and networking outside of presentation rooms.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Software Support Technician job market given the pandemic?
Jami Cotler Ph.D.: In the past I've known of tech shops offering work hour flexibility often with required face-to-face team meetings. I think the pandemic has shown across many industries that work can be distributed while maintaining a high level of efficiency and effectiveness. I think we will see more employees in the tech industry having more work from home options post pandemic.
I think the need for tech has also been both recognized and has increased as we have had to rely on it to track and report pandemic data. I think there has also been a great awareness of tech tools such as web conferencing tools such as zoom that have now become commonplace tools for everyone to use. Online delivery services have also experienced greater demand, which increases the demand for tech professionals to work in these areas as well. As I tell my students, it is a really good time to be in this industry.
What's a good job out of college for Software Support Technicians?
Jacob Furst: Any job that allows you to explore the limits of your knowledge and capacity, that you enjoy, and that pays the bills. If it occasionally makes you uncomfortable, even better. There is no "good job" without the context of the person working the job. Find a fit.
What will help Software Support Technicians increase their earning potential?
Jacob Furst: Anything you do in your work that goes beyond expectations will provide benefit later on. Extra education, certifications, volunteering for tough assignments, getting to know you coworkers better, creating a fun and interesting workplace for you and peers. Again, no magic. Always be looking for ways to be better.
Dr. Ravi Patnayakuni
Associate chairUniversity of Alabama at Huntsville
Information Systems Department
What's a good job out of college for Software Support Technicians?
Dr. Ravi Patnayakuni: That is a very individual choice. However, areas that will be seeing growth are areas that are ripe for disruption. Energy is one of them, where we will see growth in renewables. Similarly, delivery of health and healthcare as we watch Amazon and Wal Mart take initial steps into the industry. The pandemic has demonstrated the feasibility of telemedicine and this is one of the trends we will see accelerating. Information Technology continues to be the engine that is accelerating many of these changes. With Information Technology comes data which is the new oil and harnessing that will continue to see growth in the form of Analytics, Data Science and Cloud Computing.
What will help Software Support Technicians increase their earning potential?
Dr. Ravi Patnayakuni: Being agile and life-long learners. Having good communication skills. Taking initiative and demonstrating potential to be leaders.
What's a good job out of college for Software Support Technicians?
Lauren Cole: Since your article is focusing on the area of communication, I searched our First Destination Survey data to give you a sense of the type of jobs our communication graduates are pursuing because defining a good job is very specific to the individual based on their personality, skills, values and interests coupled with job market data. A popular industry for our communication graduates is the non-profit sector such as a student who took a job recently with the Equal Justice Initiative and another with a religious institution as a youth pastor. Journalism, Media and Publishing companies also rank high on our list of employers for these graduates. Since communication studies equips students with a broad skill set, several of our graduates went to work for private and public industries as well, ranging from insurance sales to staffing agencies and jobs in management and logistics.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Software Support Technicians?
Dr. Damon Meyer Ph.D.: Limited hiring and job openings due to the uncertainty in the economy. Some graduates may take alternative jobs instead.
What's a good job out of college for Software Support Technicians?
Dr. Damon Meyer Ph.D.: Working in biotech or pharmaceutical industry since they pay well with good benefits.
What will help Software Support Technicians increase their earning potential?
Dr. Damon Meyer Ph.D.: Receiving a graduate degree (MD, PharmD, PhD)
What's a day at work look like for a Software Support Technician?
Oriehi Destiny Anyaiwe: What's a day at work going to look like for a recent graduate?
This pandemic has highly promoted keeping to one's space. A typical day at work be it work-from-home (online), traditional in-person or hybrid will naturally divide the work force into two groups; employees who perform best as lone players vs the socialists/collaborationist. Today, most companies keep as many employees as they can online. Workers are beginning to reorganize their lives around this type of schedule, and they are growing their comfort with this new norm. I think that there are sundry reasons why expectations from employers and employees will have to be adjusted in this regard post pandemic era.
What technical skills for a Software Support Technician stand out to employers?
Oriehi Destiny Anyaiwe: Attitude. Anyone can memorize a programming language and have a perfect syntax, but if you cannot find your way out of a paper bag you do the company no good. In today's marketplace, problems/business are tackled with a collaborative view. Employers will like to hire employees that have the skill set and potential to explain problems/solutions to non experts as well as working amicably with them.
Deepak Khazanchi Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Community Engagement & Internationalization Officer, Professor of Information Systems & Quantitative Analysis, Director, Executive Master’s of Science in Information Technology (EMIT) Program, Executive Director, Center for Management of IT (CMIT), Fulbright Grantee (Specialist 2014; Core 2020-21)University of Nebraska at Omaha
College of Information Science & Technology
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Software Support Technician job market given the pandemic?
Deepak Khazanchi Ph.D.: Employment in the computer and information technology field were expected to grow by 11 percent between 2019 and 2029, according to the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). I do not think this will be lower post-Covid; in fact the demand for talented IT workers will substantively higher.
High tech entry level jobs will continue to be in areas such as software development (Java, Javascript, Python, etc.); Agile Methodology; Automation Engineers; AI/ML Developers/Analysts; Cybersecurity; Data Analysts/Data Engineers; Natural Language Processing; DevOPS; Project Management; Cloud Technologists; Parallel Computing; Quantum Computing; Digitalization or Supply Chain and Business Process Automation; Medical/Bio/Health Informaticians with a computing focused understanding of life and medical sciences. The ones in bold are what I would consider hot skills for the future and these will absolutely grow.
I also think general understanding of these important emerging areas will become important for non-IT employees as well. I would argue that all jobs will be "tech" jobs to some extent as automation and industry 4.0/5.0 takes hold across sectors; all college graduates will need to have exposure, if not competence, in aspects of technology that affect all business functions.
What's a good job out of college for Software Support Technicians?
Deepak Khazanchi Ph.D.: I think the "best" and "interesting" jobs in my view will be those that leverage emerging technical skills such as AI/ML, data analytics, cybersecurity and medical informatics, with the nontechnical capabilities mentioned above.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Software Support Technician job market given the pandemic?
Chirag Parikh Ph.D.: The biggest trend according to me right now would be digital transformation of workplace. Workplace activities that were happening in-person has now become virtual and technology literacy is going to play a vital role. Cross disciplinary expertise is also going to be very crucial.
Biggest trends in job market according to me would be in the area of robotics, automation, AI, software development, cyber-security and healthcare for sure. This pandemic has created a sense of health awareness among people and we are seeing lot of students opting for healthcare programs (undergraduate and graduate).
What's a good job out of college for Software Support Technicians?
Chirag Parikh Ph.D.: It is given that technical skills are required as you enter the job market. In the area of Computer Engineering, I feel that graduates should have a breadth of knowledge in most areas of computer engineering and a greater depth of knowledge in at least one area. Programming skills are of utmost importance, as you might not know every possible programming language or its syntax but the basic understanding of programming logic is necessary.
I personally value debugging skills as a must to have as having this makes you a well-rounded engineer no matter what area of engineering you belong to. Next in my list is technical writing and verbal communication skill. Most of the engineers are known to underperform in this skill. I value this skill, as employers would want their engineers to be able to create technical documents as well as present their design to other co-workers and sometimes to other stakeholders.
The last skill I feel that employers would like their employees to have would be to work in a multidisciplinary environment with co-workers from different branches of engineering and other backgrounds.
What technical skills for a Software Support Technician stand out to employers?
Chirag Parikh Ph.D.: If you ask me, I consider valuable experience over good paycheck. Once you have gained that experience the paycheck will follow. As soon as you are out of college, the knowledge gained is very fresh and raring to go. If put into the right place can enhance your technical skills and you can do wonders.
As a Computer Engineering professor, I would say the job opportunities are tremendous for students out of college as they can venture into hardware field (technical support, hardware engineer, test engineer and much more) as well as software field (software engineer, software developer, software tester and much more). The possibilities are endless.
With COVID and employees working remotely there is still ample opportunity to enhance your technical and interpersonal skills as I believe remote working might stay for a while till things get back to normal.
What type of skills will young Software Support Technicians need?
George Miller: Many organizations realize graduates cannot learn everything in college about their major but want the graduate to have a solid foundation on their field of study. The organization wants to mold the graduate to their company environment with how they do things related to the field of study. Most companies want college graduates to have good communication skills (both oral and written), critical thinking skills and be able to work well in teams. These skills have been a staple for graduates since I can remember. This is why a college graduate takes many general education courses related to these skills and many of their major courses emphasize these skills.
Going back to the previous answer I believe graduates in all fields of study will need a better knowledge of technology and easier adaptability to changing technology. Again, an IS degree is already preparing students for this.
What experience really stands out on Software Support Technician resumes?
George Miller: For graduates any experience stands out on a resume and it does not need to be related to their field of study. I tell students to do whatever to get experience. This can be with community volunteer work, at their college through clubs and organization and with professional employment.
There are many organization and government paid internship and co-op opportunities for students within all fields. There is no reason why every student cannot find some sort of internship/co-op during a summer break. Many times, an internship/co-op turns into full time employment. Often high schools and colleges are doing major technology upgrades within the summer months (because they are shut down during this period) and would welcome a student as an IS major as an intern. But volunteer work at the local church or favorite charity can also provide valuable experience. As I opened with this answer any experience stands out on a resume. The experience shows that a graduate has drive and determination.