Everyone has to start somewhere, and since I’ve experienced the highs and lows of climbing the IT ladder, I want to share some tips with you. My hope is you can feel good about kick-starting a career in IT, or get an understanding of what you need to do to keep climbing and have success. To become truly vital to your organization, choose a system to specialize in that many people rely on but few seem to fully understand the inner workings of. Will this require you to invest some personal time researching and getting your hands dirty with other technologies? Plus, the vast trove of resources available online makes that education more accessible than ever.
The highest-paying industry for a help desk engineer is the finance industry. The annual salary of desktop support specialists is $7,482 lower than the average salary of help desk engineers. A great way to get into the data scene is by harnessing your technician skills inside the data center. Data center technicians provide an array of technical support to an organization’s data center by ensuring the servers are running consistently and smoothly.
In fact, our research shows that one out of every six help desk engineers were not college graduates. Gaining hands-on experience through internships and volunteering can significantly enhance your resume and improve your chances of landing a Helpdesk Engineer role. Look for opportunities with local businesses, non-profit organizations, or educational institutions to apply your skills in real-world scenarios.
Another soft skill ambitious network engineers like you should have is the ability to identify and troubleshoot problems quickly and efficiently. You need to be able to think analytically, critically, and creatively and be able to solve complex problems under pressure. You can reach out via email, phone, social media, or by going into the organisation’s office or headquarters in person.
You will be able to help the team by researching problems, but you will also have the opportunity to learn more about our bug process, test out new tools, and speak with engineers. You will earn a reputation for producing well-researched and comprehensive bug reports due to your effort. Learn the fundamentals of whichever programming language your organization use to prepare for a shift into engineering. By taking free Codecademy courses online, you can learn Python, Javascript, and SQL.
Offer thorough training and resources to your support team, ensuring they are comfortable and confident in utilizing the new helpdesk system’s features. Encourage ongoing learning and provide support during the transition period. It can be tough to try and do one job when your heart is really set on doing another.
Now comes the transition from your in-house team to your outsourcing partner. How this process proceeds will depend a lot on the work you do to ensure it all goes smoothly. Working in a help desk role can give you an opportunity to learn more about the options that await. LaShana Lewis, a former help desk worker and software engineer at MasterCard®, says people new to the field have an excellent opportunity. Teeple emphasizes the importance of knowing how to support your team and your employer as you advance up the IT ladder—a skill that’s honed to perfection working as a help desk technician. You’ll learn how to view problems from the users’ perspectives and work effectively with a team.
After you’ve put in your time as a help desk technician and obtained some good entry level certifications, you can likely expect to move on to a job as either a network administrator or systems administrator. A systems administrator is not going to be answering the phone as much as a help desk tech will be. As a sys admin, you will be expected to know how to install, configure and manage operating systems from the server level down to a desktop level.
These meetings are a good time to discuss your top five key performance indicators, along with any other questions or concerns you may have. To get your first help desk job, pursue relevant certifications, create a strong LinkedIn profile, network with professionals, tailor your resume, and consider entry-level positions. If the time zones of the teams involved are a factor, help desk engineer you may need to consider how to allow sufficient time to collaborate across them. Try to make effective use of the overlapping hours by setting them aside for collaboration between the remaining and transitioning engineers. Initially, office hours and support can be offered during non-traditional working hours (but don’t overdo it, this should not be a long-term strategy).