The Director of the Marketing Department has commissioned a project to stand up a new… Imagine you have just been hired by Simco Financial Services, Inc., to join their Help Desk team. The Director of the I/T Department has identified the need for a new network for the headquarters facility. One of our training experts will be in touch shortly to go overy your training requirements.

  • An information engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency of computer systems and network infrastructure, performing configuration to boost the optimal performance of the technology systems.
  • Hardware and software change, but your ability to communicate effectively and think critically does not.
  • Fast forward 5 years, I’m living in Canada and I’m getting pretty sick of being stuck in the helpdesk.

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. You might start to pick up some data center experience with virtualization technologies and various storage technologies. This is where you might start to build out a niche for a specific software or technology, and grow the rest of your career off of it. For me, this was where I learned VMware and it just took off and brought me where I am today.

Help Desk Engineer

Fill out your training details below so we have a better idea of what your training requirements are. One of our training experts will be in touch shortly to go over your training requirements. The Service Desk is the most vital area of contact for IT related incidents and requests.

how to become a help desk engineer

When answering this question make sure to outline the steps you would take in addition to solving the problem. To go beyond the top of the ladder would be to become a C-level executive, Director, Independent Consultant, Analyst or VP. Some people work for 30 years and don’t get to the metaphorical ‘top of the ladder’. I firmly believe you could be a Senior Systems help desk engineer Engineer up until you are ready to retire and be completely happy. You have to have a complete understanding of every aspect of a company’s infrastructure (networking, storage, virtualization, OS, security) to architect or design a solution that suits their needs. This is not an easy process but you can get there with years of experience and lots of knowledge.

Skills and abilities

Repair computers, install software applications, and resolve user questions. Answer queries about hardware, software, and applications either in person or over the phone. As companies upgrade their computer systems and implement new applications, the need grows constantly for Help Desk Engineers, also called Technical Support Specialists. The Information Technology field is one of the most rewarding and challenging career fields in the world today. It is one of the only career fields that changes almost on a daily basis, and requires you to be up on the latest trends in order to keep pace and stay relevant.

how to become a help desk engineer

Talk about your work experience, education, qualifications and anything else that you think is important to the role. This provides important context and gives insight into your background. Reflect on the education you’ve gotten that is related to the job and what experiences you have that will make you stand out. Before you enroll in any program, it’s important to consider what type of work you want to do, what type of technology you want to work with, or what you’d like to specialize in within the industry. To become a help desk analyst, most employers will require some form of formal education, whether that’s from a university or college.

Help Desk Engineer videos

For specific programs, a college diploma or certificate is one of the fastest routes to entering the field and starting your career. Another factor you want to keep in mind when choosing your program is to look for programs that have work experience (also called a practicum) included in. By completing a practicum, this gives you real hands-on experience in a professional environment. The most common skills required to be a help desk engineer are troubleshoot, help-desk support, and technical support. As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you’ve taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a help desk engineer can determine their career goals through the career progression.

In contrast, help desk engineers make the biggest average salary, $67,498, in the finance industry. If you are invited for an interview or an assessment, you need to prepare well and show your confidence and competence. You can expect to answer questions about your background, skills, motivation, and goals, as well as technical questions that test your knowledge and ability to solve problems.

The program you take as your education should be related to some form of computer science or specific to becoming a help desk analyst. Even though most help desk engineers have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED. They really helped me navigate my career change into software development.