Whatever the size of the company or the sector of the economy, information technology is indispensable: computer workstations, servers, networks, and mobile technology. The role of an IT support technician is to manage these tools and support their users.

What Will I Do as an IT Support Technician?

If we had to pick one word to describe what it’s like to be an IT support technician, it would be “versatile.” An IT support technician is involved in all aspects of IT infrastructure, from deployment to maintenance and from security to upgrading. They are also the main point of contact for solving daily problems of their company users or clients .

As an IT support technician, you’ll install and deploy a range of computer equipment (PCs, tablets, printers, software) and connect them to a wired or wireless network. You’ll maintain this equipment in working order, keep it secure, and provide regular updates. You’ll communicate with users or clients throughout a company, from management down and hardware, software, and network suppliers.

Beyond these technical skills, a successful IT support technician must show their people skills. One of the most important tasks of an IT team is user support. To provide top-notch support, you’ll learn how to understand users’ needs and manage their stress. You’ll need to communicate quickly, clearly, and politely with people of all positions inside and outside your company, including teaching colleagues how to use technology that they are unfamiliar with or intimidated by. Finally, to excel as an IT support technician, you’ll need to be curious and resourceful!

Starting out as an IT support technician is a great opportunity for switching to a career in technology. You don’t need any prior experience or knowledge in technology to do this training. Once you’ve completed the training, you have a clear path to a wide range of tech positions! As you gain career experience, you can then advance to become a systems administrator or an IT support manager.

What Will I Learn in This Training?

You'll wear many hats in your job as an IT technician. For that, we'll teach you a variety of skills, including but not limited to:

• Set up a computer to meet a user's needs.
• Install hardware and software in a company’s infrastructure.
• Back up a user’s computer.
• Provide IT assistance following an established procedure.
• Provide support to users on IT tools and security.
• Monitor the availability of a server.
• Manage interactions with IT service providers.
• Manage IT inventory.
• Advocate solutions to improve IT equipment.

In addition to these technical skills, you will learn transversal or “soft” skills, which will help you grow as an IT support technician and allow you to progress in your career:

• Service orientation
• Emotional intelligence
• Organization
• Communication
• Creativity
• Teaching ability
• Stress management

The skillset for this path has been mapped to the CompTIA A+ certificate. You can sit the CompTIA A+ certificate exam after finishing your OpenClassrooms path.

How Much Can I Earn?

After completing your IT support technician training, you can expect a gross annual salary of £25,000 (for a beginner) to £35,000 (after a few years of experience) in the U.K., and from $30,000 (beginner) to $45,000 (some experience) in the U.S. (numbers from Manpower, Glassdoor, IT career finders). The salary will also vary by the region you work in or the size of your company or department. 

Where Can My Career Go From Here?

This training is a gateway to jobs across the IT field! By following it, you can work in different professions:

• IT support technician
• Support or Helpdesk technician
• Infrastructure technician
• Computer repair technician
• Computer support specialist
• Systems and networks technician

These professions are in all sectors of the economy and within all types of companies. You’ll have plenty of choices to develop your skills in the direction you’re most interested in.

You can grow in your career as an IT support technician through experience or continued studies. For instance, you can advance into a position as an infrastructure, network, or systems administrator or a technical or IT support manager.  

Who Is Eligible to Enroll?

To get started on this training, you need to have the following prerequisites:

• A good level of English for non-native speakers : you will need to provide a certificate not older than 2 years to demonstrate a minimum level of English B2.
  ◦ Certificates accepted:
  • English Diploma from a secondary institution (private or public) or an accredited higher learning institution
    ▪ Linguaskill minimum score: 160
    ▪ BULATS minimum score: 60
    ▪ TOEIC minimum score: 785
    ▪ IELTS minimum score: 6.5
    ▪ TOEFL iBT minimum score: 88
    ▪ Cambridge FCE / CAE / BEC HIGHER / BEC VANTAGE minimum score or grade: B or 160
    ▪ Certificate from a language center demonstrating a minimum level of B2 (including the number of training hours completed and the company signature or stamp)
  • Don’t have one of these certificates ? Find out where to take an exam.
• Access to a computer (PC or Mac), headphones, a microphone, a webcam, and a good internet connection for mentoring sessions (3.2 Mbps upload and 1.8 Mbps for download). You can use an internet speed test to find out, like High Speed Internet.

A high school diploma / GED / GCSE level is recommended but not required.

In addition, to master the skills on this path, you will need to have the following technical requirements:

• At least 16 GB of RAM and 100 GB of free storage space available on your computer.
• Administrator rights to your computer in order to install required programs. 

University of Massachusetts Global Partnership 

University of Massachusetts Global helps individuals continue their education for career growth by articulating OpenClassrooms IT Support Technician training towards university credit and applying it to degree completion. The UMass Global MyPath™ self-paced CBE Bachelor of Science in Information Technology degree or the traditional online Bachelor of Science Computing Technology degree are programs that align with your IT Support Technician training.  Each program provides you with employer-designated knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in IT careers. Interested in business or other disciplines? Credit can also be used toward several other UMass Global programs.

Through OpenClassrooms and UMass Global’s partnership, wraparound support, and mentoring, individuals across the globe can make their career advancement dreams a reality.

To learn more, please click here.