Hot Jobs: Help Desk and Technical Support
Help desk and technical support specialists provide technical assistance, support, and advice to customers and other users. Technical support specialists answer technical support inquires and may run automatic diagnostics programs to resolve problems. In addition, technical support specialists oversee the daily performance of their company’s computer systems and evaluate the usefulness of software programs. Help desk technicians field telephone calls and e-mail messages from customers who are seeking guidance on technical problems. In responding to these requests for guidance, help desk technicians must listen carefully to the customer, ask questions to diagnose the nature of the problem, and then walk the customer through the problem-solving steps.
Employment
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, help desk and technical support specialists held about 518,000 jobs in 2004. About 23 percent of these jobs were in professional, scientific, and technical services industries. Other companies that employed a significant number include insurance companies, banks, government agencies, educational institutions, and retail vendors of computers, office equipment and home electronic equipment.
Job Outlook According to the BLS
Job growth among computer support specialists reflects the rapid pace of improved technology. As computers and software become more complex, support specialists will be needed to provide technical assistance to customers and other users. New mobile technologies, such as the wireless Internet, will continue to create a demand for these workers to familiarize and educate computer users. Consulting opportunities for computer support specialists also should continue to grow as businesses increasingly need help managing, upgrading, and customizing ever more complex computer systems.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Computer Support Specialists and Systems Administrators, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos268.htm (visited April 13, 2006).