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IT CAREER TRACKS:

PC Specialist

A PC Specialist, also known as a computer technician, desktop support specialist, assistant system administrator or junior network administrator, is an IT professional who manages an organization’s PCs, including client and server computers, laptops and handhelds.


DUTIES

Duties of a PC specialist include: the installation, configuration and upgrading of PCs; diagnosing and troubleshooting problems with PCs; performing preventative maintenance on PCs; connecting PCs to both the local network and the Internet; setting up printers; tweaking settings and adding hardware on PCs to improve their performance; and enabling peripherals on PCs. A PC specialist is a somewhat technical role. Also some operating system knowledge is a big asset. Quite strong interpersonal skills are also important, as the PC specialist must be a patient and careful listener in order to quickly and accurately get to the source of a user’s problem. Moreover, a PC specialist should be an adequate writer for recording PC settings and solutions to problems, and well organized so that he or she can easily find these documents, as well as manufacturer manuals, at a later date.


pc specialist; pc repair; A+; Net+; desktop repair; computer repair

PREREQUISITES

A person may consider entering this field after attaining a non-technical university degree or a one or two year computer diploma from a local technical institute. However, a person with a Computer Science or Computer Engineering university degree won’t regret the solid hands on experience that a PC specialist job will provide at the start of a technical career. Also, some formal training and certification in particular products or technical areas is highly recommended. The aptitude to troubleshoot problems under pressure, and the tact to politely train users to be smarter about how they use their PCs, are also valuable traits.


ADVANCEMENT

A talented PC specialist will generally soon move on to more advanced technical roles, such as system or network administrators and engineers. This person’s salary should advance in lock step with his or her newer job roles.


Certification Examples Include:

A+; Linux+; MCDST; MCSA 2003; MCSE 2003; NetWare 5 CAN; NetWare 6 CAN; Network+; Server+