My experience working on an IT help desk

I worked on an IT helpdesk for several years for a couple of different companies. I thought I would share some of my experiences working a helpdesk.

Getting a job on a helpdesk is usually the entry level job in your IT career. Depending on the job market, companies will require a whole bunch of experience and qualifications, or they will take anyone they can get.

While it is important to have some knowledge of computers, both software and hardware and common Microsoft products, your people skills will be in most demand for being successful on the job.

Working on a helpdesk can sometimes be fun, but it is mostly a stressful job. Of course this depends on the IT skill and knowledge of your users. Generally 20 per cent of your users will generate 80 per cent of your problems.

I worked in several different companies and generally you get a few real problem users. These are often important executives in the company and when they have a problem, everyone will know about it. They will be calling your boss, their secretary will be calling you to fix the problem ASAP. Sometimes they aren't good with technology and somehow they can delete their entire email or lose important files they been working on for months.

It is important to remain calm in all situations.  Don't try and get too technical with your users.  Most of the time they just want whatever the problem is, to be fixed immediately so they can go back to work.

Some companies will be more stressful than others.  I worked in for a trading company on the securities floor and during trading hours, any computer downtime can cost the trader and the company millions of dollars.  Rebooting a PC to fix a problem during trading hours is not an option!

Being successful at your job on a helpdesk, means that you need to have certain helpdesk software and tools.  The first tool you need is software that gives you remote access to a computer. 

Often offices are located on several different floors and sometimes even in different cities.  If a user has a problem, being able to log on and control their computer can save you a lot of time and more often than not, the problem can be fixed with a couple of clicks.  If however, they are having any problems with network connectivity, obviously you won't be able to use a remote access tool.

Another requirement of working on a helpdesk is keeping track of all user problems.  Most companies have some kind of call tracking software which helpdesk workers have to log every item with a description of the problem.

If done properly, these can become a useful database of problems and solutions.  The reality is that most people working on a helpdesk don't fill it out complete enough for it to become useful.  IT managers build reports based on this data to present to other managers of the business.

The reports are supposedly needed to justify the purchase of new equipment.  The reality is that nothing much happens, no matter how great the reports are. 

Helpdesk jobs are generally considered entry-level, so the pay is usually not great. The problem is that it is often difficult to move up or around in IT departments. Finding helpdesk staff who are good with working with people and have technical knowledge can be difficult for companies, so being good at your job can sometimes prevent you from being promoted.

It is important if you want to change career paths, to develop interests in other areas such as, server management, web programing or IT management. Then when job positions open up in the company, you will be prepared to successfully apply for another job.