Are Computer Repair Classes Hard

How to Get a Job as a Computer Technician: ten Tips

Written by Coursera • Updated on Jan 14, 2022

Acquire how to get started every bit a reckoner technician, an in-demand information technology (IT) field.

Tattooed male computer technician working at a dual screen workstation

There's hardly a unmarried manufacture where computers don't play a role. That means there will likely always be a demand for computer technicians and support specialists to keep those computers and networks running. Learn more well-nigh this quickly growing field and get yourself job-gear up with these 10 tips.

What does a computer technician do?

Computer technicians install, maintain, and troubleshoot hardware and software for businesses and organizations. Depending on what type of company you work for, your 24-hour interval-to-twenty-four hour period tasks may include:

Setting upwards hardware and installing software
Performing repairs on computers and other peripherals
Providing support for software or hardware problems
Assisting with the It aspect of onboarding new hires
Answering technical questions
Performing regular software updates
Troubleshooting organisation failures and bugs
Managing security updates

ten tips for getting a job as a figurer technician

If you're interested in helping others through a role as a estimator technician, here are x tips to assistance you prepare for and secure a task.

1. Get certified.

One way to validate your skills to a potential employer is to earn a computer or help desk support certification. Consider starting with a foundational certificate, like the CompTIA A+ credential, to help make your resume stand out to hiring managers. With the Google IT Back up Professional Certificate, y'all'll learn the task-ready skills you need while preparing yourself to pass the CompTIA A+ exam, fifty-fifty with no previous experience.

The Google It Support Professional Certificate has helped me go a headstart on my degree in Reckoner Science as I did not have to take the 'How Computers Work' form and my certificate was recognized as proof of knowing some of the basics. In addition, this certificate gave me the confidence I needed to apply for the degree program. -Jason Niro, Coursera learner

Some companies volition require you to go certified in the specific production that the visitor uses. For example, a visitor working with Apple computers might prefer the AppleCare Mac Technician (ACMT) certification, while a company that uses Windows may desire the Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification.

Bank check some job listings of positions you might desire to utilize for to come across what certifications are recommended or required.

Learn more than: 10 Essential IT Certifications

2. Pursue a formal didactics.

While not all calculator technical support jobs require a degree, having one in computer scientific discipline or a related field tin help you build your computer cognition and give yous a competitive edge over other applicants. Education requirements vary. Some companies require an acquaintance degree, while others expect for at least a bachelor's degree.

Tip: Consider pursuing your degree online from an accredited university so you can proceed working (and earning a paycheck) equally y'all acquire.

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3. Build a computer.

Get to know computer technology inside and out—literally—past building your own computer. Every bit y'all get together and gather the components of a calculator, you'll larn nigh its construction, what makes it piece of work, and what hardware bug represent to what parts.

In addition to the easily-on learning experience, you'll end up with a machine customized to your needs and likely for less than what you'd pay for a comparable pre-built computer in a store.

4. Practice fixing common computer problems.

Ane of your biggest tasks in a estimator technician job will be identifying and solving hardware and software bug. But you don't demand to become hired to beginning gaining experience fixing computers.

Chances are your family members, friends, and co-workers experience calculator issues from fourth dimension to time. Let them know you're willing to help. You tin also search local classified ads for unwanted broken computers that y'all tin can effort to diagnose and fix. Keep track of your work and so you can add your successes to your resume.

My advice for someone who is interested in pursuing a career in IT is to own it. Even if y'all don't have the background, education, or experience needed to start a new office in IT - take the time to sit down down with a laptop and learn admittedly everything you can. Anything is possible. -Sean Flanagan, Coursera learner

5. Develop your non-technical skills.

Strong technical skills and knowledge of figurer systems are disquisitional for success in the IT industry, but go on in listen that y'all'll likewise be working with people. Developing these "soft" skills tin can not only help you impress hiring managers merely tin aid make you a better technician once you lot're on the job.

Solid communication techniques assist you to actively listen and ask the right questions when walking a co-worker through a computer setup or helping a user troubleshoot a software consequence. Critical thinking empowers you to notice solutions to complex problems that might non exist in the current documentation. The ability to write clearly allows y'all to finer document your deportment for a company knowledge base or customer relationship management (CRM) system.

Learn more: seven In-Demand Information technology Skills to Boost Your Resume

6. Volunteer your skills.

Some other splendid mode to improve your skill set while earning resume-ready experience is to volunteer for an organization in need of estimator repair. Check with local schools, small businesses, or non-for-profit organizations to find out where you can assist.

Recollect to ask for a alphabetic character of recommendation outlining the type and amount of volunteer work you lot performed, including specific It tasks. Keep the contact data of the people you work with. They might brand splendid references when you lot offset applying for jobs.

Read more: How to Inquire for a Alphabetic character of Recommendation (Template + Tips)

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7. Apply for an internship.

Go hands-on feel and boosted professional person references by applying for help desk internships in your area or online. With a paid or unpaid internship, you'll become to learn from experienced IT professionals while troubleshooting hardware and software bug in the real world.

Bank check for intern openings on LinkedIn or other local job boards. If you're enrolled in a degree program, the career services department of your academy may be able to help yous find local opportunities.

8. Update your resume.

Your resume or CV is often the beginning impression you'll have on a recruiter or hiring manager. Invest the time to brand it as good equally information technology tin be at present, and you'll be that much closer to securing interviews later.

As you build or update your resume, be certain to include any certifications and degrees you've earned, equally well every bit volunteer or other previous experience you lot've had with working with computers. Highlight the skills you lot've adult, especially those skills listed on the job clarification for the position you're applying for. Try to be equally specific every bit possible when describing your achievements.

ix. Practice common Information technology interview questions.

Interviewing for a job can experience similar a large stride, and information technology'southward normal to feel a little nervous. Build your conviction by rehearsing some mutual interview questions ahead of time. When you're sitting in front of the hiring manager or recruiter, you'll look and feel more prepared. Here are some questions to outset with:

How practice you communicate technical data clearly to non-technical people?
What is your troubleshooting process?
How do you keep your skills and noesis current?
What operating systems are you familiar with?
Can you tell me about a time you lot've had to bargain with a difficult person? How did you handle it?
What do you lot do when you encounter an error y'all tin can't solve?
What are your favorite or least favorite engineering science products? Why?
What questions do you lot inquire when troubleshooting a user's calculator problem?
How do you prioritize your work when you have more than one project at a time?

Learn more: 10 Mutual IT Interview Questions and How to Respond Them

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10. Offset applying for jobs.

Set aside some time each solar day to browse task search sites for estimator technician positions. Pay careful attention to any directions regarding how to employ. Some companies volition have you lot fill out a form and upload your resume. Others might inquire yous to email a cover letter along with your resume.

Don't be afraid to employ to jobs fifty-fifty if you lot lack some of the qualifications. You lot might exist the all-time candidate even if you're not one hundred percent qualified (especially if you can demonstrate your passion and customer service skills).

Regarding job searching, don't be intimidated by the job descriptions and think y'all're not qualified enough for the position or whatever position. Utilize with confidence, interview with conviction, and be prepared. - Stevenson Benoit, Coursera learner

Remember that your starting time job as a estimator technician is besides the start pace in what might be a much longer career. The feel you gain tin can create opportunities to advance to other, college-paying career paths in cybersecurity, app or software development, systems administration, or cloud engineering.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

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What Can You Do with a Information science Degree?
Reckoner Science vs. Information technology: Careers, Degrees, and More
9 Entry-Level IT Jobs (and What You Need to Get Hired

Article sources

ane. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Computer Back up Specialists, https://world wide web.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/figurer-support-specialists.htm." Accessed January 7, 2022.

Written by Coursera • Updated on Jan xiv, 2022

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are brash to conduct additional inquiry to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.