How To Become A Software Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a software technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Yohannes Bekele

Once software is released into the wild, there is still a lot of work to do to make sure that clients can use the software properly. Clients sometimes need assistance figuring out a software program, or it may develop bugs. The software technician works with a software product after it's been developed and makes sure that it works as it is supposed to.

A software technician can expect to do a variety of maintenance tasks to keep a software product running. They debug problems as they arise and can even write code to make minor adjustments to the software. Often, their job involves directly interacting with clients to help troubleshoot any issues.

Software technicians need to be patient tutors and have excellent technical knowledge to succeed in this position. There are a variety of paths to develop these necessary skills. About half of software technicians get bachelor's degrees in fields such as computer science. Many others go the practical route and learn on the job by working as computer technicians before working their way up to this position.

What general advice would you give to a software technician?

Dr. Yohannes Bekele

Assistant Professor, Hampton University

By entering the computer engineering profession now, individuals can take advantage of the high skilled-power demand in the field, diverse career paths broadly classified under hardware and software sub-areas, lucrative salaries as compared to other fields, continuous learning opportunities, and the potential for entrepreneurship in changing ideas into startup businesses easily. It is a field that offers long-term growth prospects and the chance to contribute to the development of cutting-edge technologies.

ScoreSoftware TechnicianUS Average

Salary

7.4

Avg. Salary $95,071

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 11.73%

Black or African American 10.72%

Hispanic or Latino 15.92%

Unknown 5.36%

White 55.86%

Gender

female 26.42%

male 73.58%

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 software technician

Explore software technician education requirements

Most common software technician degrees

Bachelor's

50.6 %

Associate

31.1 %

High School Diploma

6.9 %

Start to develop specific software technician skills

Skills	Percentages
C++	13.59%
Java	10.13%
Database	8.37%
Python	6.70%
Computer System	4.78%

Complete relevant software technician training and internships

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

Research software technician duties and responsibilities

Monitor and manage ESXi hosts and VMs.
Manage printers and software installations.
Manage Symantec BackupExec for enterprise server backups and restores.
Manage and maintain the engineering lab; debugged/repair production servers and desktop computers

Prepare your software technician resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable software technician resume templates

Build a professional software technician 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 software technician resume.

Apply for software technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a software technician 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 software technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Software technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

I really love technical job which is hands on.

Cons

I don’t too much simple tickets

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020