How to become an IT technician

You can become an IT technician without a degree or a previous IT job: learn the fundamentals, earn CompTIA A+, get hands-on practice on your own, and apply for help desk roles. Here's each step, with what the job involves and what it pays according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The short answer

Many IT technicians start at the help desk. BLS notes that computer user support jobs don't necessarily require a college degree, and that candidates may qualify with a high school diploma plus IT certifications. So a common path from zero is to learn the basics, pass CompTIA A+, practice on real problems, then apply for help desk and IT support jobs.

What an IT technician does

IT technician is an umbrella title. Job postings also say help desk technician, IT support specialist, desktop support technician or computer support specialist, and the Labor Department's O*NET lists all of them as computer user support specialists. Day to day, the work looks like this:

• Working out what's wrong when someone's computer or device stops working
• Recording what the user says is wrong
• Walking users through the fix, in person, by phone, chat or email
• Setting up and repairing computers, printers and other devices
• Installing new hardware and software and showing people how to use it
• Telling the team and managers about major or repeating problems

1. Learn the fundamentals

Start with how computers, operating systems and networks fit together. Three common starting points: CompTIA Tech+, a $129 beginner certification; Google's IT Support Professional Certificate, a self-paced course at $49 a month; or an A+ course from the start. The help desk certifications guide compares them.

2. Earn CompTIA A+

CompTIA A+ is CompTIA's certification for entry-level IT support: two exams, Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202), at $274 each, $548 for both. It covers hardware, mobile devices, networking, operating systems, security and troubleshooting, the core of a technician's job. If you're weighing Google's course too, the Google IT Support Certificate vs CompTIA A+ guide explains how they fit together.

3. Get hands-on experience before your first job

Many employers want to see that you can fix things, not only that you passed an exam. You can build that before anyone hires you:

• A home lab: an old PC to take apart and rebuild, plus free virtual machine software such as VirtualBox (or Hyper-V, built into Windows 10 and 11 Pro but not Home) for installing Windows and Linux, breaking them and fixing them.
• Friends, family and volunteering: set up a router, clean up an infected laptop, speed up an old PC. Local schools, libraries and nonprofits may need help too.
• Free A+ labs: the free A+ labs put you in front of real faults in a browser, like a PC stuck on a 169.254 address.
• Keep notes: write down each problem, what you tried and what fixed it. Those notes become résumé lines and interview answers.

4. Build the people skills

BLS lists four qualities that matter in support work:

• Communication: explaining a problem and its fix in plain terms, out loud and in writing.
• Customer service: staying patient with users who are frustrated.
• Listening: understanding the problem and knowing when to ask questions to clarify it.
• Problem solving: finding, analyzing and solving simple and complex computer problems.

5. Apply for help desk and IT support jobs

• Search several titles: help desk technician, IT support specialist, desktop support technician, service desk analyst and IT technician all describe similar entry-level work.
• Lead your résumé with A+ and your lab work: list the certification, then two or three projects from your home lab or volunteering, each written as the problem, what you did and the result.
• Look where support teams are large: BLS lists IT services firms, schools and colleges, software, telecom and media companies, government, and finance and insurance companies among the biggest employers of support specialists.
• Be open to nights or weekends: support may need to be available 24 hours a day, so BLS notes some specialists work nights or weekends.
• Be ready to talk through a fix: practice walking someone through how you'd troubleshoot a problem, step by step, before your interviews.

6. Keep going after your first job

BLS lists common moves up from support, such as information security analyst, network and computer systems administrator, or software developer; some become managers of the support team. CompTIA Network+ and Security+ are common next certifications, and the A+ vs Network+ guide covers the order.

Do you need a degree?

Not usually, for help desk and user support jobs. BLS says computer user support jobs don't necessarily require a college degree: user support specialists typically need some college courses, but candidates may qualify with a high school diploma plus IT certifications. Network support roles more often ask for an associate's degree. BLS rates the training as moderate-term on-the-job training, which means more than a month and up to a year of learning on the job.

How long does it take?

It depends on where you're starting and how much time you can study. Google estimates 3 to 6 months for its course, and the how long to study for A+ guide breaks down A+ study time by background.

What IT technicians earn

BLS puts the median pay for computer user support specialists at $61,860 a year in May 2025, and the middle half earned $49,000 to $79,040. It projects support jobs to decline 3% from 2025 to 2035 but still expects about 48,700 openings a year, all from replacing workers who move on or leave the workforce. The A+ salary guide has pay by state and for the jobs after support.

Start now

• Free A+ practice test: the 60-question test shows where you stand, with every answer explained.
• Free performance-based questions: PBQs for both A+ exams, graded instantly.
• Hands-on labs: the free A+ labs for practice on real faults.