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How to Power Up A Career in Computer Services

Love discovering exactly what makes your laptop tick? Are you the go-to person for computer problems from friends and family?

Why not get paid for it?

Those who find themselves fascinated by computers and unable to drag themselves away may be perfectly suited to turn their interest in to a lucrative career.

Besides providing troubleshooting and data recovery services for local families and businesses, there are a huge number of careers available to those with a natural passion, and they range from requiring few (if any) qualifications - to a minimum of a four year degree just for an entry level job.

The easiest positions in the computer industry to obtain are help desk jobs. These jobs require little training to do, but compared to other jobs in related fields the pay is low, averaging $25,000 to $30,000 a year, and as these services continue to be outsourced overseas, the sector is increasingly shrinking rather than expanding.

Computer programmer is another popular position within the industry. The more languages and tools a computer programmer knows, the more employable they are, and most computer programmers hold at least a two year degree. Despite this, all that is required to learn many computer languages is time and a natural curiosity. Many computer programmers are also self employed and do freelance work. Unlike their less skilled counterparts, however, computer programmers earn about $65,000 a year, more than double that of help desk technicians.

However, like their help desk counterparts, these positions are increasingly moving overseas by larger companies, although there are still opportunities for both freelancers and those who follow careers with smaller companies.

Finally, there are the software engineers, systems analysts, software publishers, and systems managers, the jobs which usually require significant schooling but also pay the best and are difficult or impossible to outsource.

However, these jobs are the most difficult for beginners to crack, since they do require a significant amount of training and schooling. However, with the proper training expect to make around $75,000 a year on average.

Another rapidly growing and lucrative field is that of computer forensics in which computer geeks are called upon to join criminal investigations by examining the hard drives of suspected criminals. Although only a few large companies have computer forensics experts on staff, starting salaries in the field can range as high as $85,000-$100,000 for experts graduating from a recognized program in a degree granting college or have passed the Certified Computer Examiner (CCE) certification examination or have equivalent qualifications.

More about computer jobs & careers around the Web:

Computer Science Career Guide - A comprehensive directory with resources to more information on skills, training, and careers in computer systems and engineering, programming, help desk rep, web design, and related positions.

Careers in Computer Science and Computer Engineering - For high school students who want to plan their career from the ground up, with tips and advice on required schooling and training, suggested extracurricular activities, college courses and career overview.

Occupational Outlook Handbook - Computer Programmers - US Department of Labor guide to required training, education and certification, an overview of a typical work environment and average salaries, and projected job outlook.

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