Tech, business and creative · Ohio
IT support specialist: what the job actually is
Keeping people's computers, accounts, printers and networks working, and being the calm person they call when they do not.
By Nick Gonzalez, founder, U.S. Air Force veteranChecked against official Ohio sources Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
The work
What this job actually is
- Answering tickets, calls and walk-ups from people whose computer, password or printer has stopped working, usually right before something important.
- Setting up laptops and accounts for new staff and shutting them off for people who leave.
- Troubleshooting step by step: is it the device, the network, the software or the person?
- Patience. Many problems are simple, and the person asking is stressed and sometimes rude.
- A real starting point. Many network and security people began on a help desk.
A Tuesday
What a normal day looks like
Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.
- 8:00: Open the ticket queue. Twelve new tickets, four of them password resets.
- 8:30: A manager cannot get on video calls. It is the headset, plugged into the wrong port.
- 9:30: Set up three laptops for new hires starting tomorrow.
- 11:00: A printer on the second floor has a paper jam nobody wants to touch. You touch it.
- 12:00: Lunch.
- 1:00: The internet goes down in one office. You trace it to a switch and call the network team.
- 3:30: Write up how you fixed the odd problem from this morning so the next person does not start from zero.
Honestly
Who loves this, and who should not do it
- Friends and family already call you when their tech breaks.
- You like fixing a problem and seeing someone relieved right away.
- You stay calm when someone else is not.
- You want to start working in tech without waiting four years.
- Repeating the same fix many times a week would wear you down.
- You do not want to deal with frustrated people all day.
- You want to build software rather than keep other people's working.
- You need regular hours. Some support jobs include nights, weekends or on-call shifts.
The route in
How you actually get there in Ohio
Know there is no license, but certifications matter
Ohio does not license IT support. Some employers will hire with a high school diploma plus relevant IT certifications; others want some college or an associate degree, especially for network support.Earn CompTIA A+
A+ is the common entry certification for support and help desk jobs. It takes two exams: Core 1 (hardware and networking) and Core 2 (operating systems and security), which can be taken in either order.Use career-tech or College Credit Plus
Ohio's IT career-tech programs and College Credit Plus courses let you start in high school. College Credit Plus is free for public school students at a public Ohio college.Get a help desk job
Schools, hospitals, manufacturers and IT service companies all run help desks. This is where you learn real systems.Let the employer pay for the next certificate
Ohio's TechCred program reimburses Ohio employers for technology credentials their W-2 employees earn, so the next step, like a networking or security certificate, is often paid for by your job.
While you are still in high school
- Look for an Information Technology career-tech program at your high school or career center. Ohio counts industry credentials earned in career-tech as one possible pathway toward graduation.
- Volunteer at your school's tech office or library help desk if they will take you.
- Join a CyberPatriot team. High school teams secure virtual Windows and Linux machines and complete a networking challenge.
- Start studying for CompTIA A+ Core 1 with free online materials.
Where this comes from: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer support specialists, how to become one · CompTIA: A+ certification · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Information Technology career field · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Marketing career field · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: College Credit Plus (cost for public school students) · Ohio Department of Development: TechCred · CyberPatriot: competition overview · Ohio.gov: start, run and grow a business in Ohio. Rules change, so check the official page before you rely on a detail.
The money
What it pays in Ohio
Last on purpose. Pay matters, but it is a bad reason to pick a job you would dislike for thirty years.
- $59,720
- Median pay in Ohio, a year
- $28.71
- Median pay in Ohio, an hour
- 22,370
- People doing this job in Ohio
- $57,100
- Median pay in the Akron area, a year
Most people in Ohio earn between $38,730 (the lowest-paid tenth, usually new starters) and $89,700 (the highest-paid tenth) a year.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Ohio and Akron, OH metro area. Median means half earn more and half earn less.
Try it this week
Run a family tech help desk for a week
Tell your family you are the help desk this week. Every problem gets written on a list.
For each one, write what was wrong, what you tried and what fixed it.
Explain each fix in one sentence the person can repeat next time.
At the end of the week, decide whether the fixing or the explaining was the better part.
Questions to ask somebody who does it
- What are the most common tickets you get?
- How do you deal with someone who is angry before you even start?
- Which certifications actually helped you get hired?
- Where did people who started on your help desk end up?
- Do you work nights, weekends or on-call?
Can you own one?
Yes. With no license required, you can start a small computer repair or managed IT service for homes and small businesses in Ohio. Most people get several years of help desk and network experience first, because small business clients expect you to handle everything.
Thinking about it? How to start a business in Ohio and the free Business 101 course are the place to begin.
Questions
Quick answers
- How much does a iT support specialist make in Ohio?
- The median pay for a iT support specialist in Ohio is $59,720 a year ($28.71 an hour), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. Most people earn between $38,730 and $89,700.
- How do you become a iT support specialist in Ohio?
- Know there is no license, but certifications matter. Earn CompTIA A+. Use career-tech or College Credit Plus. Get a help desk job. Let the employer pay for the next certificate.
- Can you own your own business as a iT support specialist in Ohio?
- Yes. With no license required, you can start a small computer repair or managed IT service for homes and small businesses in Ohio. Most people get several years of help desk and network experience first, because small business clients expect you to handle everything.
Close cousins
Jobs like this one
- Cybersecurity analystWatching an organization's computers and networks for attacks, closing the holes before someone uses them, and cleaning up when someone does.$110,480 a year
- Software developerDesigning, writing and fixing the programs a business or its customers run on, and spending far more of the day reading and thinking than typing.$114,090 a year
- Web developerBuilding and maintaining websites and web apps, from how a page looks on a phone to how it saves an order, and fixing them when they break.$77,690 (Akron)
Still deciding?
Start with you, then look at the work
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