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What is a technical support associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
Quoted Experts
Babak Beheshti Ph.D.,
Oriehi Destiny Anyaiwe
introduction image

A technical support associate provides technical assistance to clients or customers in need of help with software, hardware, or technical issues. They troubleshoot and resolve technical problems via phone, email, or chat. Technical support associates have strong communication skills, patience, and excellent problem-solving abilities. They also maintain accurate records of customer interactions and provide updates on the status of technical issues. A technical support associate ensures that customers receive high-quality service and satisfaction.

What general advice would you give to a Technical Support Associate?

Babak Beheshti Ph.D.Babak Beheshti Ph.D. LinkedIn Profile

Dean, Professor, New York Institute of Technology

As most economies in the world have moved towards a "gig economy" paradigm, it is essential for graduates beginning their careers to adopt an entrepreneurial and self-guided career mindset. Young professionals would need to take charge of their professional development. This means that they must continually remind themselves that the knowledge learned shelf life is reducing more and more every year. New skills and technologies come into the picture. They must know these new skills on their own to maintain their competitive edge in the job market. Moreover, young professionals must view every position they hold to be an added chapter in their portfolio - every position held should be considered an experiential skill added to the resume.
ScoreTechnical Support AssociateUS Average
Salary
3.4

Avg. Salary $43,651

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.7

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 14.60%

Black or African American 10.84%

Hispanic or Latino 14.56%

Unknown 5.26%

White 54.32%

Gender

female 31.60%

male 68.40%

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

What are the pros and cons of being a Technical Support Associate?

Pros

  • Possibility to work remotely

  • Opportunity for career growth

  • Possibility of flexible schedules

  • Potential for overtime pay

  • Chance to work in a team environment

Cons

  • May have to work odd hours, including weekends and holidays

  • Often requires sitting at a desk for long periods of time

  • Performance metrics and goals can be challenging to meet

  • Possibility of burnout due to high stress levels

  • Difficult to predict workload and schedule in advance

Technical Support Associate career paths

Key steps to become a technical support associate

  1. Explore technical support associate education requirements

    Most common technical support associate degrees

    Bachelor's

    53.6 %

    Associate

    23.9 %

    High School Diploma

    8.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific technical support associate skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Technical Support12.46%
    Printers9.99%
    Troubleshoot9.54%
    Software Applications4.79%
    Customer Satisfaction3.69%
  3. Complete relevant technical support associate training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New technical support associates 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 technical support associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real technical support associate resumes.
  4. Research technical support associate duties and responsibilities

    • Manage customer's tickets through VMWARE ticketing system for opening, closing, and resolving issues.
    • Design, implement, manage and document network security configurations for firewalls.
    • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
    • Respond to queries over VoIP enable phone.
  5. Prepare your technical support associate resume

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

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Technical Support Associate Resume templates

    Build a professional Technical Support Associate 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 Technical Support Associate resume.
    Technical Support Associate Resume
    Technical Support Associate Resume
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    Technical Support Associate Resume
    Technical Support Associate Resume
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    Technical Support Associate Resume
    Technical Support Associate Resume
    Technical Support Associate Resume
  6. Apply for technical support associate jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a technical support associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Technical Support Associate Job

Zippi

Are you a Technical Support Associate?

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Average technical support associate salary

The average Technical Support Associate salary in the United States is $43,651 per year or $21 per hour. Technical support associate salaries range between $25,000 and $75,000 per year.

Average Technical Support Associate Salary
$43,651 Yearly
$20.99 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do technical support associates rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Technical Support Associate reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
Pros

You get to help a lot of people in many different ways as well as learning new things about technology

Cons

I have aids now due to the painfulness of sitting down all day


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2022
Cons

There was nothing to like. Everyone was polite an hard workers

Pros

Working with The people


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Pros

I decided to go to technical support because I've been fascinated by technology all my life and I love working with the people as well. I want to use my technical know-how to solve directly the problems that customers have. I want to be the person who makes life easier and more enjoyable for people who have had a problem. This is what I like most as a technical Support.

Cons

I don't like sitting around being inactive. So I'll keep my self always busy


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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