Computer User Support Specialists: Career Profile
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.
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What Do Computer User Support Specialists Take On?
The core tasks performed by computer user support specialists cover:
- 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.
- Read technical manuals, confer with users, or conduct computer diagnostics to investigate and resolve problems or to provide technical assistance and support.
- Answer user inquiries regarding computer software or hardware operation to resolve problems.
- Install and perform minor repairs to hardware, software, or peripheral equipment, following design or installation specifications.
- Confer with staff, users, and management to establish requirements for new systems or modifications.
- Enter commands and observe system functioning to verify correct operations and detect errors.
- Maintain records of daily data communication transactions, problems and remedial actions taken, or installation activities.
What Computer User Support Specialists Need to Know
Effective computer user support specialists combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Other Computer User Support Specialists Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Application Customer Service Representative (Application CSR)
- Application Support Engineer
- Applications Analyst
- Automatic Data Processing Customer Liaison (ADP Customer Liaison)
- Call Center Support Representative (Call Center Support Rep)
- Cloud Operations Specialist
- Computer Customer Support Specialist
- Computer Hardware Technician (Computer Hardware Tech)
Employment and Demand
There are about 385,784 computer user support specialists working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +11.0% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Computer User Support Specialists Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $71,530 |
| Hourly median | $34.39 |
| 10th percentile | $39,846 |
| 25th percentile | $55,688 |
| 75th percentile | $87,372 |
| 90th percentile | $103,214 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $76,880 |
| California | $76,870 |
| Massachusetts | $75,670 |
| Connecticut | $68,800 |
| Washington | $68,640 |
| Vermont | $68,170 |
| Colorado | $66,270 |
| New Jersey | $65,810 |
| New Hampshire | $64,850 |
| New York | $63,910 |
| Virginia | $63,420 |
| Minnesota | $62,970 |
| Delaware | $62,280 |
| Maryland | $62,200 |
| Arizona | $61,990 |
| Oregon | $61,120 |
| Rhode Island | $59,420 |
| North Dakota | $59,420 |
| Hawaii | $59,250 |
| Wyoming | $58,680 |
| North Carolina | $58,660 |
| Alaska | $58,600 |
| Wisconsin | $58,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,130 |
| Florida | $58,120 |
| Nebraska | $57,920 |
| Utah | $57,560 |
| Georgia | $57,160 |
| Nevada | $56,900 |
| Iowa | $56,710 |
| Illinois | $56,540 |
| Michigan | $56,110 |
| Maine | $56,050 |
| Texas | $55,320 |
| Indiana | $55,030 |
| West Virginia | $54,850 |
| Tennessee | $54,420 |
| Ohio | $53,500 |
| Montana | $53,410 |
| Louisiana | $53,350 |
| Missouri | $52,730 |
| Kentucky | $51,630 |
| Idaho | $51,080 |
| Kansas | $50,870 |
| South Carolina | $50,500 |
| Oklahoma | $50,090 |
| Virgin Islands | $49,610 |
| Alabama | $48,860 |
| Arkansas | $47,720 |
| New Mexico | $47,540 |
| South Dakota | $46,780 |
| Mississippi | $46,690 |
| Puerto Rico | $33,950 |
| Guam | $32,160 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Compensation for computer user support specialists differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $72,313 | 15.7% | 0.96 |
| New England | $70,523 | 5.5% | 1.17 |
| Middle Atlantic | $62,927 | 15.2% | 1.00 |
| Rocky Mountains | $60,967 | 4.6% | 1.19 |
| Southeast | $56,611 | 23.9% | 1.01 |
| Plains States | $56,535 | 7.2% | 1.06 |
| Southwest | $55,929 | 13.5% | 1.09 |
| Great Lakes | $55,823 | 13.6% | 0.96 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Computer User Support Specialists
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | CA | $102,430 | 13,690 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $85,010 | 9,720 |
| Carson City, NV | NV | $84,280 | 510 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $80,930 | 5,500 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $79,780 | 360 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | CA | $78,260 | 950 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $77,750 | 15,640 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $76,760 | 510 |
Industry Breakdown
Most computer user support specialists work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 210,440 | $59,950 |
| Educational Services | 80,880 | $56,240 |
| Information | 66,680 | $63,080 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 57,450 | $49,900 |
| Wholesale Trade | 45,590 | $60,980 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 37,660 | $62,370 |
| Finance and Insurance | 37,300 | $62,420 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 35,010 | $58,220 |
Below are examples of industries where computer user support specialists work:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: AJAX (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Redshift (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
- Expert system software: Ansible software (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hive (hot technology)
What the Workplace Is Like
Daily working conditions for computer user support specialists is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Freedom to Make Decisions
How to Become Computer User Support Specialists
Most computer user support specialists positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Computer and Information Systems Managers (Supplemental)
- Computer Systems Analysts (Primary-Short)
- Information Security Analysts (Primary-Long)
- Computer Network Support Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Computer Network Architects (Supplemental)
- Telecommunications Engineering Specialists (Supplemental)
- Database Administrators (Primary-Long)
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators (Primary-Short)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Aspiring computer user support specialists typically earn programs in:
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 15-1232.00 (Computer User Support Specialists).
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