Anybody who works in IT has at some point or time tried fixing computers for themselves. This doesn’t necessarily mean that each of us could walk into a job as a PC Technician. Here we’ll look at what PC technicians actually do, the training requirements and how to find suitable jobs in PC repair services.
Job Details
In broad terms, a PC Maintenance Technician is expected to be able to fix hardware and software problems, upgrade computer components and troubleshoot network/internet issues. Additional PC repair services may also include data backup and data recovery services (two popular areas of expertise).
The role also allows flexibility about where, and for whom, you work:
- Bench Technicians: Do their computer repair tasks from a workbench (hence the title) within a single location. This is normally the term applied for a PC technician working in a repair shop.
- Field Technicians: These PC technicians work on client sites supporting their office networks, IT systems, offsite tape storage systems and servers. This may be done as part of a consultancy role meaning you may move from project to project.
- Freelance Technicians: For many, the ultimate goal is to start up their own company, fixing computers for the local community (home/businesses). This requires having a broader skill base in computer maintenance, networking, disk crash data recovery, etc.
Training
It is not always necessary to have qualifications when starting in this industry, but it certainly helps. Smaller computer repair shops may prefer experience over qualifications.
Becoming a qualified computer service technician (CST) from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) provides a solid grounding from which to start a career as a PC technician. Further accreditation can then be obtained through CST certifications from the Electronics Technicians Association.
It is worth pointing out that most PC technicians would be expected to continue their training throughout their career. By its nature, technologies move on and those in the industry will need to attend training updates and product seminars/work-shops to stay current with latest trends.
PC Maintenance Technician Jobs
Finding the right job in PC repair services is no different to other areas of IT.
- Search the online job websites for technologies and roles. Different companies use a variety of terms for the role so search all the variants (see the first section of this article).
- Contact firms directly. This is strongly emphasized as many jobs are filled rapidly without ever making it to jobs notice boards.
The main threat to this profession is the rise of online PC repair services and predictive maintenance software. Tools like Reimage can automate registry, OS and software repairs (see our Reimage review). Therefore, the key to this career is specializing in areas (e.g. data recovery) or industries that customers would be happy to pay for expert assistance.
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