How To Become an IT Technician

So you want to become an IT Technician but don’t know where to begin?

Well it all depends on where you’re starting from, if you’re still in education then make sure you do well in Science/Physics, English and Maths.  Science/Physics because it helps you become inquisitive and you learn how things work, English because you’ll be sending lots of emails as an IT Technician so spelling and grammar are important and Maths because in the business world, lots of issues arise with reports which are packed full of figures that you’ll need to try and understand.

If you’re not currently in education - perhaps you left some time ago and are working in another field such as the Retail Industry or as a Builder and are looking for a change of career.  Don’t worry if you don’t have relevant Science, English and Maths qualifications, in these particular industries you’ll already be good at Maths for example as Retail is all about figures and Builders have to put quotes and invoices together so you have achieved these skills in a different way.

What do I need to have to become an IT Technician?

Hardware Skills
Operating Systems Skills
Software Application Skills
Customer Service Skills
IT Certification
Experience

Hardware Skills

Build your own desktop computer, from scratch.  You don’t need to buy brand new components, you can pick up second hand motherboards, CPUs, RAM and cases from places like eBay or even (here in the UK) car boot sales.  My only advice is to buy the motherboard, CPU and possibly RAM from the same person/place to ensure compatibility.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t work properly the first time you power it on as that's part of your learning experience!