What common work activities are performed by computer user support specialists?

Employment and Outlook

The Employment and Outlook section gives you information about the size of an occupation, whether it is growing or declining in size, and how many job openings there may be each year.

There are five size categories for occupations in CIS: very small, small, medium, large, and very large. Similarly, five categories are used for the number of job openings: very few, few, moderate, high, and very high.

Five categories are also used for growth: declining, more slowly than average, average, faster than average, and much faster than average. The growth rate tells you how rapidly an occupation is expected to grow in comparison to all other occupations. This information is an estimate. No one can predict exactly how many jobs will be available. The rate of growth of an occupation is determined by several factors. A few major factors are the state of the economy, competition, technological advances, and environmental rules.

For more information see the Employment and Outlook topic.

In Illinois, 25,743 computer user support specialists work in this very large occupation.

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Employment of computer support specialists is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. More support services will be needed as organizations upgrade their computer equipment and software. Computer support staff will be needed to respond to the installation and repair requirements of increasingly complex computer equipment and software. However, a rise in cloud computing could increase the productivity of computer support specialists, slowing their growth at many firms. Smaller businesses that do not have information technology (IT) departments will contract services from IT consulting firms and increase the demand computer support specialists in those firms. Employment of support specialists in computer systems design and related firms is projected to grow 31 percent from 2014 to 2024.

Employment growth may also come from increasing demand for IT support services from healthcare industries. This field is expected to greatly increase its use of IT, and support services will be crucial to keep everything running properly.

Some lower level tech support jobs, commonly found in call centers, may be sent to countries that have lower wage rates. However, a recent trend to move jobs to lower cost regions of the United States may offset some loss of jobs to other countries.

Job Prospects

Job prospects should be favorable. There are usually clear advancement possibilities for computer support specialists, creating new job openings. Applicants with a bachelor's degree and a strong technical background should have the best job opportunities.

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A systems support agent is responsible for resolving system applications and network issues, performing technical configuration, and upgrading systems infrastructure. A systems support representative conducts regular maintenance and diagnostic tests on the computer applications to ensure its optimal performance and efficiency to support business operations and avoid delays in deliverables. They also assist the technology team in designing backup systems and improve existing networks according to business requirements and specifications. They write resolution reports for reference to prevent the reoccurrence of system malfunction and inconsistencies.

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take systems support for example. On average, the systems supports annual salary is $105 higher than what computer support specialists make on average every year.

Even though computer support specialists and systems supports have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require hardware, technical support, and troubleshoot in the day-to-day roles.

There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, a computer support specialist responsibilities require skills like "computer support," "desk support," "personal computers," and "computer software." Meanwhile a typical systems support has skills in areas such as "email," "system support," "problem resolution," and "backup." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

Systems supports really shine in the professional industry with an average salary of $72,760. Whereas computer support specialists tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $75,865.

Systems supports tend to reach similar levels of education than computer support specialists. In fact, systems supports are 2.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Installation specialists are skilled employees who are responsible for installing various equipment, machinery, and computer systems for a company or clients. These specialists must work with HVAC contractors to install air-conditioning ductwork and materials in business establishments and homes. They should recommend corrective action when identifying electrical and environmental deficiencies to ensure optimized performance and reliability of equipment. Installation specialists must also test hardware and software to determine its efficiency and reliability as well as its compatibility with the existing system.

The next role we're going to look at is the installation specialist profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $14,324 lower salary than computer support specialists per year.

While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both computer support specialists and installation specialists are known to have skills such as "hardware," "technical support," and "customer service. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, computer support specialist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "computer support," "troubleshoot," "active directory," and "desk support." Meanwhile, a installation specialist might be skilled in areas such as "company vehicle," "hand tools," "quality measures," and "administrative documents." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, installation specialists tend to reach similar levels of education than computer support specialists. In fact, they're 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

The role of technical specialists is to provide technical support for applications and programs to staff members and customers within an organization. They train staff and customers on products and apps and offer advice on the best practices for utilizing technical programs and applications. They also design training materials to teach other staff members the most effective methods of using its technology. It is also their job to reduce company costs by looking for ways to improve productivity and lessen expenses.

Let's now take a look at the technical specialist profession. On average, these workers make higher salaries than computer support specialists with a $24,847 difference per year.

By looking over several computer support specialists and technical specialists resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "hardware," "technical support," and "active directory." But beyond that the careers look very different.

As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from computer support specialists resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "computer support," "troubleshoot," "desk support," and "personal computers." But a technical specialist might have skills like "procedures," "project management," "c++," and "c #."

Interestingly enough, technical specialists earn the most pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $92,419. As mentioned previously, computer support specialists highest annual salary comes from the technology industry with an average salary of $75,865.

When it comes to education, technical specialists tend to earn similar education levels than computer support specialists. In fact, they're 5.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

A technical support associate is responsible for assisting customers and end-users' technology and network issues, configuring system applications and improving network infrastructure. Technical support associates inspect inconsistencies on the network systems, identifying technical support solutions, and repairing defective system components. They also implement strategic techniques to boost the technology's optimal performance, maintain a record of resolution for reference, and process customers' upgrade requests. A technical support associate must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as extensive communication and organizational skills to support operations, especially on high-volume days.

The fourth career we look at typically earns lower pay than computer support specialists. On average, technical support associates earn a difference of $20,275 lower per year.

While both computer support specialists and technical support associates complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like hardware, technical support, and troubleshoot, the two careers also vary in other skills.

While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "computer support," "peripheral equipment," "appropriate software," and "word processing" are skills that have shown up on computer support specialists resumes. Additionally, technical support associate uses skills like phone calls, technical knowledge, crm, and knowledge base on their resumes.

Technical support associates reach similar levels of education when compared to computer support specialists. The difference is that they're 3.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree more, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.