How to become a Computer User Support Specialist 2024

Computer User Support Specialist Provide technical assistance to computer users. Answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients in person, via telephone, or electronically. May provide assistance concerning the use of computer hardware and software, including printing, installation, word processing, electronic mail, and operating systems.

Computer User Support Specialist is Also Know as

In different settings, Computer User Support Specialist is titled as

Computer Support Specialist
Computer Tech (Computer Technician)
Desktop Support Technician (Desktop Support Tech)
Help Desk Analyst
Help Desk Tech (Help Desk Technician)
IS Tech (Information Systems Technician)
IT Specialist (Information Technology Specialist)
IT Support Specialist (Information Technology Support Specialist)
IT Tech (Information Technology Technician)
Technical Support Specialist

Education and Training of Computer User Support Specialist

Computer User Support Specialist is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Computer User Support Specialist

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Education Required for Computer User Support Specialist

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Degrees Related to Computer User Support Specialist

Training Required for Computer User Support Specialist

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Computer User Support Specialist in different industries are

What Do Computer User Support Specialist do?

Answer user inquiries regarding computer software or hardware operation to resolve problems.
Enter commands and observe system functioning to verify correct operations and detect errors.
Install and perform minor repairs to hardware, software, or peripheral equipment, following design or installation specifications.
Oversee the daily performance of computer systems.
Set up equipment for employee use, performing or ensuring proper installation of cables, operating systems, or appropriate software.
Maintain records of daily data communication transactions, problems and remedial actions taken, or installation activities.
Read technical manuals, confer with users, or conduct computer diagnostics to investigate and resolve problems or to provide technical assistance and support.
Confer with staff, users, and management to establish requirements for new systems or modifications.
Develop training materials and procedures, or train users in the proper use of hardware or software.
Refer major hardware or software problems or defective products to vendors or technicians for service.
Prepare evaluations of software or hardware, and recommend improvements or upgrades.
Read trade magazines and technical manuals, or attend conferences and seminars to maintain knowledge of hardware and software.
Inspect equipment and read order sheets to prepare for delivery to users.
Modify and customize commercial programs for internal needs.
Conduct office automation feasibility studies, including workflow analysis, space design, or cost comparison analysis.
Hire, supervise, and direct workers engaged in special project work, problem-solving, monitoring, and installation of data communication equipment and software.

Qualities of Good Computer User Support Specialist

Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

Tools Used by Computer User Support Specialist

Computer tool kits
Desktop computers
Digital tapes
Mainframe computers
MS-DOS-bootable disks
Multi-line telephone systems
Network analyzers
Notebook computers
Power meters
Punchdown tools
Redundant array of independent disks RAID systems
Reflectometers
Screwdrivers
Wire crimpers

Technology Skills required for Computer User Support Specialist

3M Post-it App
Active directory software
Adobe Acrobat
Adobe ActionScript
Adobe Creative Cloud software
Adobe Distiller
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Advanced business application programming ABAP
AJAX
Amazon Redshift
Amazon Web Services AWS software
Ansible software
Apache Ant
Apache Cassandra
Apache Groovy
Apache Hadoop
Apache Hive
Apache HTTP Server
Apache Kafka
Apache Maven
Apache Pig
Apache Solr
Apache Struts
Apache Subversion SVN
Apache Tomcat
Apple Final Cut Pro
Apple iOS
Apple macOS
Atlassian Bamboo
Atlassian Confluence
Atlassian JIRA
Autodesk AutoCAD
Autodesk Revit
Automated installation software
Bash
Bentley MicroStation
Blackboard software
Blink
C
C#
C++
Calendar and scheduling software
Call center software
Cascading style sheets CSS
Chef
Cisco IOS
Cisco Webex
Citrix cloud computing software
Common business oriented language COBOL
Configuration management software
CrossTec NetOp Remote Control
Customer information control system CICS
Dartware InterMapper
Dassault Systemes CATIA
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
Data entry software
Database software
Defect tracking software
Delphi Technology
Deployment software
Desktop partitioning software
Disaster recovery software
Django
Docker
Domain name system DNS
Dropbox
Drupal
Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML
Eclipse IDE
Elasticsearch
Element management software
Encryption software
Enterprise JavaBeans
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Epic Systems
ESRI ArcGIS software
Event log monitor software
Ext JS
Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML
Extensible markup language XML
Facebook
FileMaker Pro
Flipgrid
Fund accounting software
Geographic information system GIS software
Git
GitHub
Google Android
Google Angular
Google Classroom
Google Docs
Google Drive
Google Meet
Google Sites
Help desk software
Hewlett Packard HP-UX
Hewlett Packard LoadRunner
Hibernate ORM
Human resource management software HRMS
Hypertext markup language HTML
IBM Cognos Impromptu
IBM Domino
IBM InfoSphere DataStage
IBM Notes
IBM Power Systems software
IBM WebSphere
Information systems integration software
Integrated development environment IDE software
Internet browser software
iPro
JavaScript
JavaScript Object Notation JSON
Job control language JCL
jQuery
JUnit
KornShell
LAMP Stack
LexisNexis
License management software
Linux
LogMeIn GoToMeeting
LogMeIn GoToWebinar
Lucid IQ CMP
Mac HelpMate
Marketo Marketing Automation
McAfee
Media storage management software
MEDITECH software
Microsoft .NET Framework
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Active Directory
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Microsoft ActiveX
Microsoft ASP.NET
Microsoft ASP.NET Core MVC
Microsoft Azure software
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics GP
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerShell
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Visio
Microsoft Visual Basic
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA
Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript
Microsoft Visual Studio
Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows Pre-installation Environment
Microsoft Windows Server
Microsoft Word
MicroStrategy
Migration software
MongoDB
Moodle
MySQL
Nagios
National Instruments LabVIEW
Nearpod
NetSuite ERP
Network directory services software
Node.js
NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
NoSQL
Objective C
Operating system monitoring software
Operating system software
Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
Oracle Database
Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
Oracle Fusion Applications
Oracle Fusion Middleware
Oracle Hyperion
Oracle Java
Oracle JavaServer Pages JSP
Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
Oracle JDBC
Oracle PeopleSoft
Oracle PL/SQL
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management
Oracle Solaris
Oracle Taleo
Oracle WebLogic Server
ParentSquare
Password management software
Patch management software
Perforce Helix software
Perl
Personal computer diagnostic software
PHP
Poll Everywhere
PostgreSQL
Puppet
Python
Qlik Tech QlikView
Quest Erwin Data Modeler
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Red Hat WildFly
Relational database management software
Remote control software
Remote install server software
Ruby
Ruby on Rails
Sage 50 Accounting
Salesforce software
Salesforce Visualforce
SAP Business Objects
SAP Crystal Reports
SAP software
SAS
Schoology
Seesaw
ServiceNow
Shell script
Skype
Slack
SmugMug Flickr
Software asset management SAM software
SolarWinds
Splunk Enterprise
Spring Boot
Spring Framework
Stac Software ReachOut
StataCorp Stata
Structured query language SQL
Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
Swift
Symantec LiveState
Symantec Norton Utilities
Symantec pcAnywhere
Tableau
Tax software
Teradata Database
The MathWorks MATLAB
Transact-SQL
Trimble SketchUp Pro
Ubuntu
Unified modeling language UML
UNIX
UNIX Shell
Veritas NetBackup
Virtual private networking VPN software
Virus scanning software
VMware
Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
Wireshark
Yardi software
YouTube
Zoom

US Universities

How to become Computer User Support Specialist in 2024