Do You Need A Degree To Start A Career In IT Support?

Most of the things we do on a daily basis revolve around the use of computers. Technology has evolved so much that we can now use powerful computer systems as small as diaries! Of course, like most things in life, computers need maintenance to work in an efficient manner.

The job of fixing problems with computers falls to those that work in IT support. The job of these geeky gurus is to diagnose and resolve issues with computer systems. They can do this either by remote connection or on-site.

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If you have a love for all things electronic, you might be considering a career in IT support. Some people will tell you that you need university degrees to do so. But I am here to tell you that you don’t!

Core skills

There are many different paths you can take once you have a job in IT support. For instance, you can train to become a networking specialist. Or maybe you’d prefer to sidestep into programming. Or perhaps, you are interested in monitoring data in the healthcare sector and running hipaa risk assessment (like the one provided by firms like Davis Advanced Technologies).

Whatever, your preference is, you need to have a few of the below-mentioned skills to start a career in IT support. Here’s a rough guide:

  • Interest in computers. It might sound obvious, but you need to have an interest in computers and technology in general. IT is such a fast-paced industry, that you always to need to keep abreast of the latest technology;

  • Willingness to learn. When you get a job in IT, every day is a day for you to learn something new. Even professionals and specialists are always learning new things about their industries. That is despite them being experts in their fields;

  • Good written and verbal skills. When you start a career in IT support, you will doubtless have to deal with customers. You need to prove to future employers that you can write and speak to their customers in a professional manner;

  • Experience. You don’t need previous experience of IT support to start a career in it. Instead, you should be able to prove that you are competent with computers. You must show that you have used them in past jobs, volunteer roles or even in your further education.

Industry skills

Once you have started your career in IT support, you can build on your skills base. Enrol in courses such as CompTIA‘s A+ foundation certification. As you develop your skills over the years, you can get other industry certification, such as Cisco’s CCNA.

Major IT corporations like Microsoft also offer certification for specific disciplines and products. Some employers might favour those with higher education. But, in reality, it is those with specific certifications that are likely to get the job first.

Other interests

When you embark on a career in IT support, there is nothing to stop having other IT-related interests. For example, you might want to learn more about cloud computing.

Businesses are using cloud computing more and more each day, especially services like InsightCloud. You could learn more about the concept as a whole, or you might choose to learn more about the development side of things.

Anything is possible in IT, but most people will agree the starting point is within IT support. Good luck with your future IT career!

 

 

Ken
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