Career pathways in IT Support

IT Support professionals have excellent career progression opportunities, and are often in high demand, especially as companies continue to rely on new technologies to help with company processes and services. It is a popular career choice to consider if you want to get into the IT and tech industry. You can often get into an entry-level IT Support role with minimal experience, as long as you can demonstrate a basic understanding of IT, and the relevant soft skills, then you can begin your IT Support career.

The path of an IT Support professional can vary from person to person, depending on the speed of your personal development, your self-motivation, and the ability to demonstrate all the skills needed to fulfil the role.

We’ve put together some of the different types of IT Support jobs from entry-level to senior level and the types of responsibilities and skills that you need to be successful in the job.

Entry-Level IT Support Jobs

IT Technician

An IT Technician will usually work under the responsibility of the IT manager, your role is to assist the IT manager in planning, coordinating, directing, and designing IT-related activities, as well as provide support for the daily operational activities of users. An IT Technician will act as the first point of contact for customers in need of technical support, whether that be over the phone, in person, or remotely. Therefore, you need excellent communication skills and customer service skills.

Find out more about a day in the life of an IT Technician here.

The average salary for an IT Technician is £25,000

1^ST Line Support

As 1^st Line Support, you act as the first point of contact for inquiries to IT Services. Your role is to solve the most simple IT issues and incidents, whilst passing on more technical issues to 2^nd and 3^rd line support teams. You need excellent customer service skills and communication skills as you need to be able to translate technical information to colleagues and customers who may not be technically minded.

The average salary for 1^st Line Support is £22,500

Mid-Level IT Support Jobs

3^rd Line Support Engineer

IT tasks that are too technical for 1^st and 2^nd Line Support are passed onto 3^rd Line Support. Therefore, you need in-depth practical knowledge of a wide range of infrastructure and back-office products. The role also involves offering advice and guidance to customers and liaising with 3rd parties on IT support issues. As a 3^rd Line Support Engineer, you will have greater responsibilities, so organisational skills and critical thinking skills are essential.

The average salary for 3^rd Line Support Engineer is £39,000

IT Support Manager

As an IT Support Manager, you will oversee the day-to-day operations of an IT support department. You are often in charge of selecting, implementing, and managing all of the company's technologies including ticketing systems and automated tools. You are also responsible for user support standards, departmental regulations, and procedures, as well as ensuring any sensitive data is stored correctly and in alignment with company governance guidelines. You must have strong leadership and project management skills.

The average salary for an IT Support Manager £50,000

Senior-Level IT Support Jobs

IT Architect

An IT Architect is responsible for creating high-level business solutions and enhancing the existing IT infrastructure with powerful solution design and capabilities. You need to make sure that the entire strategy is executed to high standards, and you'll frequently engage with a number of teams at various levels, including vendors, IT directors, delivery managers, product owners, and sales. You need excellent leadership skills and communications skills and will be in charge of governance, risk analysis, and producing architecture design.

The average salary for an IT Architect is £70,500

Head of IT

As Head of IT, you take on more responsibility to help establish and deliver a planned tech strategy throughout the business. You will do this using your experience and knowledge to bring the latest in technology to create a smoother, cost-effective, and technologically advanced solution for the company’s processes and services. As well as having excellent leadership skills, critical thinking skills, and strong attention to detail, you need to be passionate about emerging technologies, best practices, and driving IT advocacy.

The average salary for a Head of IT is £85,000

As you can see there are many different types of IT Support jobs, and the more experience you get, the more skills you learn and the greater your job opportunities become. As an IT support professional, you can choose to focus on one of the many skills that you learn over time from becoming an IT Support Manager and even Head of IT. As technologies continue to evolve the demand for IT Support professionals will continue to grow, and the career possibilities are endless.