What is a System Technician?

A system technician is a tech-savvy professional that provides assistance to clients that are experiencing problems with their computer systems. To do this, they conduct diagnostic tests, interview clients about the issue/s present, and come up with troubleshooting solutions that can get their system up and running again.

Apart from these primary duties, a service technician also writes codes, maintains computer programs, installs new upgrades, and educates clients on how not to properly take care of their computer system. It is also worth noting that this job often entails traveling for business as some system issues need to be fixed remotely.

At the very least, an aspiring service technician must have a degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or something similar. Experience, on the other hand, may not be required if you are applying for an entry-level job. However, many employers prefer applicants with at least a few years of experience.

In the US, the average salary for this position is around $48,000, which makes up roughly $23 per hour.

What Does a System Technician Do

There are certain skills that many system technicians 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 multitasking skills, analytical skills and communication skills.

Learn more about what a System Technician does

How To Become a System Technician

If you're interested in becoming a system technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 36.4% of system technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.3% of system technicians have master's degrees. Even though some system technicians 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 System Technician
Top System Technician Jobs Near You

System Technician Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a system technician can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as technician, progress to a title such as technical support specialist and then eventually end up with the title information technology manager.

System Technician

Top Careers Before System Technician

Technician(596,842 Jobs)
11.6 %
Electronics Technician(83,284 Jobs)
8.5 %
Service Technician(254,533 Jobs)
7.4 %

Top Careers After System Technician

Technician(596,842 Jobs)
10.0 %
Field Service Technician(167,298 Jobs)
9.2 %
Systems Administrator(134,500 Jobs)
8.1 %

Recent Job Searches

Average Salary for a System Technician

System Technicians in America make an average salary of $43,410 per year or $21 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $67,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $27,000 per year.
Average System Technician Salary
$43,410 Yearly
$20.87 hourly
See More Salary Information

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

Roles and Types of System Technician

The role of a system technician includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general system technician responsibilities:

  • Provide friendly, fast, and helpful customer service, through the consistent practice
  • We are seeking an experienced technical leader who is passionate about creating
  • Install and support phone systems, ip switches, ethernet

There are several types of system technician, including:

Technician

Role:

To be a technician, you have to know your stuff. Some may refer to you as an expert in your field or maybe people will know you as skilled in an art or craft. Then again, you may just be needed to look after technical equipment.

Your workload as a technician will vary, depending on what you're trained in. You may be needed to set up a new computer system or maybe you'll need to fix an electricity problem. Either way, you'll probably only need to work 40 hours a week.

The degree of education required for this job depends on what you're specific skillset is. Some technicians only need a high school diploma, others may want to complete an associate's program or earn a certificate to help their employment opportunities. There's definitely something for everyone in the field of technicians.
  • Average Salary: $38,045
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Computer Technician

Role:

A Computer Technician is responsible for repairing and maintaining computers and servers. They set up computer hardware and technological equipment. They install, configure, and update software and drivers, create, and support computer networks. They manage security options and ensure the privacy of networks and the information stored on the devices.

They are responsible for an adequate and functional IT infrastructure at a company or institution. They troubleshoot any issue occurring with hardware, components, peripheral devices, software, and networks. They perform diagnostic tests, resolve errors, and maintain internet connectivity, making sure the system runs correctly.

They are diligent workers with acute problem-solving skills. They are service-oriented, patient, and have excellent communications skills to be able to deal with a continuous flow of co-workers seeking IT support on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
  • Average Salary: $39,767
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Technical Support Technician

Role:

A Technical Support Technician is the heart and soul of an IT system. They are tech-savvy geniuses who set up, maintain, and repair computer systems for businesses and organizations.

They install and configure hardware and software, maintain the efficiency of the network, run diagnostic tests and electrical checks to identify any technical issue or fault in the system, and nip it in the bud. They test and review new technologies as well and suggest improvements if they see fit.

They are not just excellent technicians, however, but charming people's persons as well, who are able to effortlessly elicit crucial information from customers about their IT issues. They bear with them until they solve the problem with patience and tenacity, give timely feedback to customers following up on matters if necessary, and create documentation of their cases along with reports on the efficiency of the service they provide.
  • Average Salary: $40,210
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
View More

States With The Most System Technician Jobs

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

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of System Technician Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,764$56,721
2Texas3,080$50,164
3Florida2,448$43,796
4Virginia2,050$43,563
5New York1,729$54,411
6Georgia1,541$44,837
7Illinois1,495$52,707
8North Carolina1,486$45,848
9Pennsylvania1,451$40,683
10Ohio1,284$39,617
11Arizona1,281$43,685
12Massachusetts1,265$51,140
13Maryland1,189$46,389
14Colorado1,149$51,578
15New Jersey1,045$54,780
16Minnesota1,010$48,984
17Washington998$60,448
18Michigan962$50,064
19Tennessee926$50,588
20Indiana912$47,130
21Missouri880$46,053
22Iowa870$51,327
23Wisconsin832$43,384
24Alabama772$51,479
25South Carolina738$42,699
26Oregon591$58,293
27Utah550$42,200
28Connecticut522$46,729
29Louisiana460$44,072
30Oklahoma439$42,007
31Arkansas391$42,651
32Kansas389$42,798
33Kentucky389$42,495
34Mississippi375$43,806
35Nebraska368$46,157
36Nevada346$54,307
37New Mexico282$46,293
38Maine278$37,984
39New Hampshire250$43,626
40West Virginia225$39,540
41Delaware198$44,979
42Idaho192$56,494
43Montana182$46,910
44Alaska180$57,816
45North Dakota166$46,023
46Hawaii165$46,022
47South Dakota146$45,593
48Vermont133$40,507
49Rhode Island119$42,480
50Wyoming97$53,831

System Technician Education

System Technician Majors

Electrical Engineering
16.7 %
Business
12.4 %
Electrical Engineering Technology
12.1 %

System Technician Degrees

Associate

40.0 %

Bachelors

36.4 %

High School Diploma

12.5 %

Top Colleges for System Technicians

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Computer Technical Support
Computer Science
Business
Electrical Engineering
Engineering

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Computer Technical Support
Business
Computer Science
Communication
Electrical Engineering

3. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Criminal Justice
Psychology
Accounting
Communication

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Computer Technical Support
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology

5. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,238

Enrollment

2,120

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Computer Technical Support
Accounting
Business
Engineering
Computer Information Systems

6. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Computer Technical Support
Computer Information Systems
Electrical Engineering
Criminal Justice
Communication

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Computer Technical Support
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Communication

8. University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Lincoln, NE • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,242

Enrollment

20,592

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Accounting
Computer Technical Support
Electrical Engineering

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Psychology
Criminal Justice
Communication

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Liberal Arts
Communication
Computer Technical Support

Top Skills For a System Technician

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, 10.2% of system technicians listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as multitasking skills and analytical skills are important as well.

  • Customer Service, 10.2%
  • Hand Tools, 6.9%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 5.9%
  • Technical Support, 5.0%
  • Control Systems, 4.3%
  • Other Skills, 67.7%

Choose From 10+ Customizable System Technician Resume templates

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

System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume
System Technician Resume

System Technician Demographics

System Technician Gender Distribution

Male
Male
90%
Female
Female
10%

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

  • Among system technicians, 10.0% of them are women, while 90.0% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among system technicians is White, which makes up 64.5% of all system technicians.

  • The most common foreign language among system technicians is Spanish at 59.1%.

Online Courses For System Technician That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. Introduction to Hardware and Operating Systems

coursera

If you're ready to enter the world of Information Technology (IT), you need job-ready skills. This course enables you to develop the skills to work with computer hardware and operating systems, and is your first step to prepare for all types of tech related careers that require IT Fundamental skills. First, learn about the essential software brain of a computer—its operating system software when you explore Microsoft Windows. Next, discover internal key hardware computer components, including...

See More on Coursera

2. Electrical Control & Protection Systems

udemy
4.4
(1,512)

This course introduces electrical control & protection systems which are a critical part of any electrical substation...

See More on Udemy

3. Control Systems Made Simple Beginner's Guide

udemy
4.4
(674)

Learn fundamentals of Mechanical & electrical system modeling, simulation and control with this unique practical course!...

See More on Udemy
Show More System Technician Courses
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary

Best States For a System Technician

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a system technician. The best states for people in this position are Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and California. System technicians make the most in Washington with an average salary of $60,448. Whereas in Oregon and Alaska, they would average $58,293 and $57,816, respectively. While system technicians would only make an average of $56,721 in California, 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. Nevada

Total System Technician Jobs: 346
Highest 10% Earn:
$85,000
Location Quotient:
1.08

$54,307

Avg. Salary

View 346 System Technician Jobs In NV

2. Iowa

Total System Technician Jobs: 870
Highest 10% Earn:
$78,000
Location Quotient:
1.56

$51,327

Avg. Salary

View 870 System Technician Jobs In IA

3. Wyoming

Total System Technician Jobs: 97
Highest 10% Earn:
$80,000
Location Quotient:
1.06

$53,831

Avg. Salary

View 97 System Technician Jobs In WY
Full List Of Best States For System Technicians

How Do System Technician Rate Their Jobs?

Working as a System Technician? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary
Do you work as a System Technician?
Rate how you like work as System Technician. It's anonymous and will only take a minute.

Top System Technician Employers

Most Common Employers For System Technician

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Lucent$64,505$31.0143
2Motorola Solutions$58,283$28.0279
3Northrop Grumman$54,506$26.2027
4Xerox$53,775$25.8528
5Tektronix$52,944$25.4522
6Lockheed Martin$50,934$24.4945
7Brooks Automation$50,143$24.1123
8General Dynamics$49,039$23.5849
9Verizon Communications$41,321$19.8750
10Anheuser-Busch$38,991$18.7524
Show More

System Technician Videos

A Day in the Life of an HVAC Tech.
Career Advice on becoming an Electrical Engineer by Allan H (Full Version)
On the Job with a Charter Technician

System Technician Related Careers

System Technician Related Jobs

What Similar Roles Do

Resume For Related Jobs

Updated February 6, 2023