When people say support specialist, they generally mean an expert who supports organizations or clients with IT issues, troubleshooting and resolving any problem related to hardware, software, networks, and the like.

You will most likely receive calls and emails from frustrated and panicky computer users who have already tried turning it on and off again. You will need all your patience and communication skills to figure out what went wrong and walk them through the process to fix it.

This is a typical 9-to-5 job with salaries usually ranging somewhere between a generous sum of $40,000 to $60,000 per year. You do not necessarily have to have degrees and certificates to prove your knowledge in information technology. The results of a proficiency test are normally sufficient to speak for your skills.

What Does a Support Specialist Do

There are certain skills that many support specialists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer-service skills, listening skills and speaking skills.

Learn more about what a Support Specialist does

How To Become a Support Specialist

If you're interested in becoming a support specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 51.8% of support specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.5% of support specialists have master's degrees. Even though most support specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Support Specialist

Support Specialist Job Description

Support specialists are employees whose main responsibility is to provide anything needed by stakeholders, usually customers, such as product and service support, response to inquiries, and other similar needs. They are expected to have in-depth knowledge of the company's products and services so that they can address any challenge.

Learn more about Support Specialist Job Description

Support Specialist Career Paths

Average Salary for a Support Specialist

Support Specialists in America make an average salary of $40,782 per year or $20 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $64,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $25,000 per year.
Average Support Specialist Salary
$40,782 Yearly
$19.61 hourly

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

States With The Most Support Specialist Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active support specialist jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where support specialists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Support Specialist Jobs By State

Support Specialist Education

Support Specialist Majors

24.5 %

Support Specialist Degrees

Bachelors

51.8 %

Associate

22.4 %

High School Diploma

10.6 %

Top Colleges for Support Specialists

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

Top Skills For a Support Specialist

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 16.2% of support specialists listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and listening skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Support Specialist Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Support Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Support Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume
Support Specialist Resume

Support Specialist diversity

Support Specialist Gender Distribution

Female
Female
62%
Male
Male
38%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among support specialists, 61.6% of them are women, while 38.4% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among support specialists is White, which makes up 56.4% of all support specialists.

  • The most common foreign language among support specialists is Spanish at 68.3%.

Online Courses For Support Specialist That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. Technical Support Fundamentals

coursera

This course is the first of a series that aims to prepare you for a role as an entry-level IT Support Specialist. In this course, you’ll be introduced to the world of Information Technology, or IT. You’ll learn about the different facets of Information Technology, like computer hardware, the Internet, computer software, troubleshooting, and customer service. This course covers a wide variety of topics in IT that are designed to give you an overview of what’s to come in this certificate program...

2. Introduction to Technical Support

coursera

Gain the daily work skills and knowledge you’ll need for IT Technical Support career success. This course, part of the IBM Technical Support Professional Certificate, is designed for beginners with no prior IT experience or formal degree. Get an insider’s view into IT Support work. Learn about IT Support roles and levels, the support escalation matrix, ticketing systems, common support tools, and remote support software. Then, hear about career opportunities and career pathways from...

3. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

udemy
4.5
(459)

Hands-on Technical skills for IT Support Professionals...

Show More Online Courses For Support Specialist
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary

Best States For a Support Specialist

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a support specialist. The best states for people in this position are New York, New Jersey, California, and Delaware. Support specialists make the most in New York with an average salary of $53,126. Whereas in New Jersey and California, they would average $52,824 and $51,825, respectively. While support specialists would only make an average of $51,496 in Delaware, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. New Mexico

Total Support Specialist Jobs: 380
Highest 10% Earn:
$75,000
Location Quotient:
1.3

2. District of Columbia

Total Support Specialist Jobs: 429
Highest 10% Earn:
$83,000
Location Quotient:
1.71

3. California

Total Support Specialist Jobs: 5,328
Highest 10% Earn:
$81,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Full List Of Best States For Support Specialists

How Do Support Specialists Rate Their Jobs?

3/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Support Specialist Reviews

3.0
Feb 2020
Pros

Helping special needs adults read , write and do math.

Cons

Lifting wheelchair bound individuals to change pull ups and pampers, cleaning bowel movements. No support from leadership when problems arrive. Over crowding classrooms which causes stress to staff and individuals.


Working as a Support Specialist? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Top Support Specialist Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ support specialists and discovered their number of support specialist opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that J. C. Penney was the best, especially with an average salary of $33,132. Michaels Stores follows up with an average salary of $31,512, and then comes Bank of America with an average of $45,147. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a support specialist. The employers include HomeStreet Bank, Sound Physicians, and Staples

Most Common Employers For Support Specialist

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Citi$87,893$42.26148
2IBM$85,257$40.99170
3JPMorgan Chase & Co.$74,347$35.74244
4Intuit$61,419$29.53152
5AT&T$46,140$22.18162
6Bank of America$45,147$21.71608
7Big Brothers Big Sister$43,650$20.99169
8Hewlett Packard Enterprise$43,262$20.80115
9Concentra$39,162$18.83130
10Mercury Insurance$38,665$18.59146

Becoming a Support Specialist FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Become A Support Specialist?

It takes 5 years of professional experience to become a support specialist. That is the time it takes to learn specific support specialist skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 8 to 10 years years to become a support specialist.

Do You Need A Degree To Be An It Support Specialist?

Yes, you need a degree to be an IT support specialist. Many IT support specialists can get hired with only an associate's degree, although some employers prefer applicants with a bachelor's degree.

What Are Careers In Cloud Computing?

Cloud architect, cloud system engineer, and data engineer are careers in cloud computing.

  • Cloud Architect

A cloud architect is responsible for converting the technical requirements of a project into the architecture and design that will guide the final product. They are also responsible for bridging the gaps between complex business problems and solutions in the cloud.

A cloud architect should have a strong background in cloud computing or a similar technical area and feel comfortable with various operating systems including:

  • Linux

  • Unix

  • Solaris

  • Ubuntu

  • Windows

A good understanding of networking, including TCP/IP, IP addresses, and HTTP is also highly important. Cloud architecture is broad and most architects find themselves having to wear many hats, so it is important to have good technical knowledge in a variety of areas.

Cloud architects will routinely work with other engineers and tech team members like DevOps and software developers to create adoption strategies and design cloud solutions. They may also work with the company's legal team to assist in negotiating contracts or ensuring that service-level agreement requirements are met.

  • Cloud System Engineer

Along the same lines, a cloud system engineer is an IT professional that builds and maintains cloud infrastructure. Their role can vary from day to day, but typical tasks for a cloud system engineer include:

  • Helping organizations migrate their computer systems to the cloud

  • Configuring cloud infrastructure components like networking and security services

  • Creating the applications and databases that perform on the cloud

  • Monitoring cloud management and data storage services

It is helpful to have a good working knowledge of cloud platforms before working as a cloud system engineer. It is generally recommended that you learn one platform well rather than having minimal knowledge of several platforms. The four largest cloud infrastructure platforms to date are:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)

  • Microsoft Azure

  • Google Cloud

  • IBM Cloud

It is also important to know about data storage and security. How access, store, and protect data are important aspects of a cloud system engineer's role.

  • Data Engineer

A data engineer builds systems for collecting, validating, and preparing high-quality data. They work in a variety of settings to build systems that collect, manage, and convert raw data into usable information for data scientists and business analysts to interpret.

Their ultimate goal is to make data accessible so that organizations can use it to evaluate and optimize their performance. Typical tasks for a data engineer include:

  • Acquiring datasets that align with business needs

  • Developing algorithms to transform data into useful, actionable information

  • Building, testing, and maintaining database pipeline architectures

  • Collaborating with management to understand company objectives

  • Creating new data validation methods and data analysis tools

  • Ensuring compliance with data governance and security policies

What Are The Duties Of An It Support Specialist?

The duties of an IT support specialist are to provide organizations with information technology support to optimize operational efficiency. Their responsibilities include resolving technical issues, maintaining hardware and software installations, and improving IT systems.

What Does A Computer Support Specialist Do?

A computer support specialist provides technical support for a company, organization's customers, or their fellow staff members. The computer support specialist will use computer software and equipment to assist them in providing advice and help to their employer and fellow employees.

What Makes A Good It Support Specialist?

What makes a good IT support specialist is the ability to proactively solve problems involving various hardware and software products a business utilizes or produces. This job is primarily focused on fixing issues and making sure that technology is working correctly.

What Qualifications Do You Need To Be A Computer Support Specialist?

The qualifications you need to be a computer support specialist are an associate's degree in computer science and some work experience. Typically companies prefer to hire people with a bachelor's degree and deep knowledge of various computer programs.

Search For Support Specialist Jobs