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Computer User Support Specialists

It's a bright outlook for

This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Learn more about what they do.

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.

Related: Computer Network Support Specialists Computer Systems Analysts Information Security Engineers Network & Computer Systems Administrators Software Developers

Industries: Professional, Science, & Technical Education Media & Communication

Summary
Details

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

Reading Comprehension
- Reading work-related information.
Quality Control Analysis
- Testing how well a product or service works.
Mathematics
- Using math to solve problems.
Operation and Control
- Using equipment or systems.
Social Perceptiveness
- Understanding people's reactions.
Management of Personnel Resources
- Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
Critical Thinking
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
Systems Evaluation
- Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
Equipment Maintenance
- Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
Operations Analysis
- Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
Active Learning
- Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
Negotiation
- Bringing people together to solve differences.
Programming
- Writing computer programs.
Coordination
- Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
Complex Problem Solving
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
Science
- Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
Monitoring
- Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
Time Management
- Managing your time and the time of other people.
Instructing
- Teaching people how to do something.
Speaking
- Talking to others.
Learning Strategies
- Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
Service Orientation
- Looking for ways to help people.
Equipment Selection
- Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
Troubleshooting
- Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
Technology Design
- Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
Judgment and Decision Making
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
Active Listening
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
Systems Analysis
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Writing
- Writing things for co-workers or customers.
Management of Financial Resources
- Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
Installation
- Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
Management of Material Resources
- Managing equipment and materials.
Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
Persuasion
- Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

Wrist-Finger Speed
- Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
Response Orientation
- Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
Speed of Closure
- Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
Glare Sensitivity
- Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
Originality
- Creating new and original ideas.
Spatial Orientation
- Knowing where things are around you.
Visualization
- Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Gross Body Coordination
- Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
Written Comprehension
- Reading and understanding what is written.
Oral Expression
- Communicating by speaking.
Auditory Attention
- Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
Speech Clarity
- Speaking clearly.
Dynamic Flexibility
- Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Extent Flexibility
- Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Number Facility
- Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
Static Strength
- Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
Night Vision
- Seeing at night or under low light.
Peripheral Vision
- Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
Time Sharing
- Doing two or more things at the same time.
Stamina
- Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
Explosive Strength
- Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
Fluency of Ideas
- Coming up with lots of ideas.
Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Keeping your arm or hand steady.
Depth Perception
- Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
Near Vision
- Seeing details up close.
Rate Control
- Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
Reaction Time
- Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
Speech Recognition
- Recognizing spoken words.
Inductive Reasoning
- Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
Flexibility of Closure
- Seeing hidden patterns.
Oral Comprehension
- Listening and understanding what people say.
Mathematical Reasoning
- Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
Trunk Strength
- Using your lower back and stomach.
Speed of Limb Movement
- Quickly moving your arms and legs.
Multilimb Coordination
- Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
Deductive Reasoning
- Using rules to solve problems.
Hearing Sensitivity
- Telling the difference between sounds.
Memorization
- Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
Far Vision
- Seeing details that are far away.
Gross Body Equilibrium
- Keeping your balance or staying upright.
Sound Localization
- Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
Problem Sensitivity
- Noticing when problems happen.
Perceptual Speed
- Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Visual Color Discrimination
- Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
Category Flexibility
- Grouping things in different ways.
Written Expression
- Communicating by writing.
Selective Attention
- Paying attention to something without being distracted.
Information Ordering
- Ordering or arranging things.
Finger Dexterity
- Putting together small parts with your fingers.
Control Precision
- Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
Dynamic Strength
- Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
Manual Dexterity
- Holding or moving items with your hands.

Mechanical
- Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Economics and Accounting
- Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Sociology and Anthropology
- Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
Administrative
- Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Design
- Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Law and Government
- Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
History and Archeology
- Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
Building and Construction
- Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Transportation
- Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Medicine and Dentistry
- Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Computers and Electronics
- Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Education and Training
- Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Geography
- Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Sales and Marketing
- Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Fine Arts
- Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
Mathematics
- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Food Production
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
Chemistry
- Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Communications and Media
- Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Physics
- Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
Engineering and Technology
- Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Telecommunications
- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
English Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Foreign Language
- Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Administration and Management
- Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Biology
- Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Customer and Personal Service
- Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Personnel and Human Resources
- Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Philosophy and Theology
- Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
Public Safety and Security
- Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Therapy and Counseling
- Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Psychology
- Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Production and Processing
- Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Education

Some college, no degree

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

Washington Annual Salary

68640/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

33/hr

Currently Employed

25,840

Yearly Projected Openings

2300

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

Attention to Detail
Integrity
Dependability
Cooperation
Initiative
Adaptability/Flexibility

Computer tool kits
Desktop computers
Floppy disks
Hard disk arrays
Mainframe computers
Network analyzers
Notebook computers
Power meters
Punches or nail sets or drifts
Reflectometers
Screwdrivers
Special purpose telephones
Tape arrays
Wire lug crimping tool

Access software
Accounting software
Administration software
Analytical or scientific software
Application server software
Authentication server software
Backup or archival software
Business intelligence and data analysis software
Calendar and scheduling software
Cloud-based data access and sharing software
Cloud-based management software
Cloud-based protection or security software
Clustering software
Communications server software
Computer aided design CAD software
Computer based training software
Configuration management software
Content workflow software
Customer relationship management CRM software
Data base management system software
Data base reporting software
Data base user interface and query software
Desktop communications software
Desktop publishing software
Development environment software
Document management software
Electronic mail software
Enterprise application integration software
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Enterprise system management software
Expert system software
File versioning software
Filesystem software
Financial analysis software
Geographic information system
Graphical user interface development software
Graphics or photo imaging software
Helpdesk or call center software
Human resources software
Industrial control software
Information retrieval or search software
Instant messaging software
Internet browser software
Internet directory services software
Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
License management software
Medical software
Metadata management software
Multi-media educational software
Network conferencing software
Network monitoring software
Network operation system software
Network security or virtual private network VPN management software
Object or component oriented development software
Object oriented data base management software
Office suite software
Operating system software
Platform interconnectivity software
Portal server software
Presentation software
Process mapping and design software
Program testing software
Project management software
Requirements analysis and system architecture software
Sales and marketing software
Spreadsheet software
Storage networking software
Transaction security and virus protection software
Transaction server software
Video conferencing software
Video creation and editing software
Web page creation and editing software
Web platform development software
Word processing software

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Computer User Support Specialists

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