Like a first responder in an emergency (hey, email is an emergency!) the help desk technician is tasked with triaging the issue. If the issue involves a user needing a copy of their Exchange .pst file, you will send the ticket to the Exchange Admin queue. You are a traffic cop, keeping things moving and fixing small things where you can. A wise old man once told me, a journey of 10,000 miles begins with one step…Okay, no one actually told me that – but it’s a good adage to think of as you approach a career in IT.
DSI Tech
I have been working as an IT support specialist for the past five months. Unfortunately, the IT department has been overlooked and not seen as an asset for the company’s growth, as SysAdmin / IT Support Specialist job they have been focusing on acquiring smaller businesses in recent years. The IT manager has experience with managed service providers and is skilled in project management, with previous knowledge of IT infrastructure. Therefore, the department is being managed by someone who is proficient in growing and documenting processes, as the company has a lack of documentation in general. While the average system administrator may not command massive six-figure salaries, the role helps acquire important transferable skills to move into an SRE position. Or, they could join top sysadmin employers where system administration makes a mission-critical difference in the company’s daily operations.
Sharpen your IT and systems administration skills with Coursera
A technical support specialist is responsible for assisting customer’s and businesses’ concerns and system issues by performing troubleshooting and remote solutions. Technical support specialists should maintain excellent communication skills to guide the client and business on solving network problems. They must also document concerns and progress promptly for reference and quality checks. 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. You might start to pick up some data center experience with virtualization technologies and various storage technologies.
Cloud infrastructure know-how and certifications
Don’t think that you have to be “climbing the ladder.” You don’t… it doesn’t equate to success or happiness. In fact, “climbing the ladder” could frustrate you and create unnecessary anxiety. If you love help desk and doing that job makes you happy, then do it and be the best at it. If you love design and architecture, then be happy doing it and don’t sweat trying to advance.
Thank you, My current job title is IT Support Specialist but we are restructuring our department and I’m dealing mainly with our physical infrastructure and build out our new Servers. With all this, my job title is changing and I’m trying to figure out my place. Preparing for any interview means anticipating some questions ahead of time and knowing how to answer them. Here are some basic questions you might encounter when you interview for a system administrator role.
Support specialist vs systems administrator skills
- The differences between technical support specialists and systems administrators can be seen in a few details.
- It helps to have been an admin at one point in your career to understand what the team will go through with implementing a design.
- Refresh your IT skills by mentally walking through several tasks you know how to perform, and practice explaining them aloud.
- They conduct repairs and routine maintenance to ensure that the systems in place are in the best shape.
- Preparing for any interview means anticipating some questions ahead of time and knowing how to answer them.
I would agree with the sentiment here – you should go for Systems Administrator. When you do go to find a job, if you can get a phone interview, you can explain your situation and responsibilities to the https://wizardsdev.com/en/vacancy/strong-middle-android-developer/ hiring manager. If you change your mind and want to earn the certificate, you can always switch to the full program. Since IT jobs are highly technical, interviewers are likely to ask you several technical questions in addition to more personal behavioral questions.
Support Specialist Vs Systems Administrator
Additionally, a systems administrator has an average salary of $77,156, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist. Find a mentor that will help you understand the ins and outs of the technology that your organization is utilizing and sit in on any architecture or design meetings that you can. Take lots of notes and do your best to gain an expert level full-stack developer understanding of how the organization architected their infrastructure and also why they did.
