How do I get people to pay me to fix their computers?

September 15, 2009 5:39 PM

How do I move away from my career of being a retail troll and towards tech support. I already fix my friends' computers and have a lot of experience dealing with my own. I've become fairly tech savvy thanks to the method printed on XKCD's cheat sheet. I'm also curious if anyone knows how to make a driver for a laptop mouse/keyboard that's useable in OSX Leopard. Details inside.

I'm pretty much self taught as I've never taken a computer course in my life. I'm familliar With Ubuntu 9.04, Windows XP and OSX. As a matter of fact, I can put all three of them onto a PC laptop and have them all boot and work properly (except for a working mouse/keyboard in OSX that aren't external USB plugin). I can also take said laptop completely apart to gain full access to the motherboard.

My next project involves building a server and putting a website on it but I'm waiting on a piece of sh*t computer to install the server on to. This will be my first time building a server or a website.

Given this experience, what other skills should I pick up before trying to make a go of this stuff proffessionally? More Importantly, how do I break into a computer related career?

I'm also trying to learn how to write programs but don't know where to start. Ubuntu has a lot of handy applications for writing code in multiple programming languages but which ones do I learn.

Finally, on the side, is it possible to create a driver for my laptop's keyboard/mouse that OSX Leopard can recognize? It works fine if I install no keyboard or mouse related drivers and plug in an external PC keyboard and mouse. Is it also possible to somehow dredge it from the OS on the install disk (which works fine but whatever gets installed to the hard drive doesn't work).

posted by Pseudology to computers & internet (15 comments total)

First thing is get A+ certified. Firms that are hiring technicians are looking for this as a minimum. There are a number of other certifications that will help get you foot in the door.

If you really want to step it up a notch, look into networking and security. There are always jobs in those fields.
posted by netbros at 5:51 PM on September 15 [1 favorite]

Id recommend getting the MCAS certs along with the A+. If youre shooting for an office tech support job then they are the ones to get.

You can try asking around local non-profits who need some computer-related support and training. That'll look pretty good on your resume. Volunteermatch.org and craigslist is a good place to start. Good luck!
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:06 PM on September 15

Finally, on the side, is it possible to create a driver for my laptop's keyboard/mouse that OSX Leopard can recognize? It works fine if I install no keyboard or mouse related drivers and plug in an external PC keyboard and mouse. Is it also possible to somehow dredge it from the OS on the install disk (which works fine but whatever gets installed to the hard drive doesn't work).

it depends on how the keyboard and mouse are connected to the motherboard. It's either an internal USB connection, an internal PS/2 connection or some proprietary connection. My guess, if it works under Linux and not OSX, is that it's a PS/2 connection. this forum post seems to explain how to get the connection working.
posted by delmoi at 6:41 PM on September 15

I got my first tech support job by taking a position as a paper-pushing clerk for a medium sized engineering company. 4 months later, I was offered a position in one of their tech support divisions. There's no guarantee this will work, but if you can't land that IT job right away, sometimes it's easier to migrate over from within the same company. As for certifications, I don't have any first-hand experience, but I'll echo what damn dirty ape and netbros said, because I've heard from others I know that it definitely helps.

Learning programming: I'd pick a high level (which more or less means "close to English") language like Java, Python, or Ruby to start out with. If you think you'll learn better by taking classes, then enroll in a Java 101 class somewhere. Otherwise, start reading Dive into Python or _why's Ruby book (which you'll hate or absolutely love, depending on your personality) and start grinding through the material. If neither of those tickles your fancy, there is a lot of other resources out there just waiting to be googled. There really is no trick to learning, other than to stick with it, and practice as much as possible.

Stack Overflow is a good place to go if you're stuck, or have questions.

Good luck!
posted by threetoed at 6:46 PM on September 15 [1 favorite]

To play devils advocate... I'm not really a big believer in certifications being worth a whole lot anymore. Sure, there are situations where they help (companies with "old school" hiring practices where HR only looks for buzzwords on your resume).. and having them certainly doesnt hurt.... but I think their value is over-hyped. I've seen plenty (PLENTY) of potential employees (and coworkers *shudder*) who had all sorts of certifications but couldnt troubleshoot their way out of a cardboard box. Having said all that... you are in a position with minimal field experience,.. so certifications might be a good way to show that you are willing to dedicate resources to accomplishing something.

My road to an IT Support career started after graduating high school I got a phone-support job (Microsoft Publisher support and HP laptop support).. did that for 2 years, then moved jobs to something more "hands on" (deskside support) ... basically still doing that. I've had ups and downs (thank you economy) but I've accomplished my position without ever going to college and have no certifications. (not saying this is the best/recommended way - but it is possible if you are creative/resourceful enough)

My advice to you would be to find as many ways as possible to get hands on experience. If that means fixing friends/family computers (and asking them to recommend your services to others).. then do so. If that means building your first webserver and toying around with programming/coding... do that too. Are there any small computer shops in your area that you could intern/get hired as a starting position?...
posted by jmnugent at 6:50 PM on September 15

Stack Overflow is a good place to go if you're stuck, or have questions.

Stack Overflow is for programming questions, ServerFault is for Sys Admin', and then there's Superuser for asking questions about your home PC for 'enthusiasts'. That would be a good question to ask your OSX question.
posted by delmoi at 6:54 PM on September 15 [3 favorites]

er, I mean a good place to ask your OSX question.
posted by delmoi at 6:55 PM on September 15

Certs are mostly meaningless, especially the X+ ones, except as an indicator of a bare minimum desire and ability to follow through on it. And they are about having something for hiring managers to check off a list. It is way easier for everyone if you can say "I passed this test" than it is for you to have to explain what you know in terms they understand. That said, if you are ever offered the opportunity to take a certification, do it. Learning never hurts anyone.

IT support, at least on a commercial level, all about getting your customer back working again, or about restoring systems to correct functionality:

1- What's wrong?
2- What's it supposed to do?
3- [make it do that]
4- Profit.

Nobody cares about your mad skillz at registry hacking. All they care about is that you put humpty dumpty back together again as quickly as possible.

The ways into the business I've seen work are these:

1- Get a job at Best Buy and get some experience. Someone there will eventually move on to a bigger and better job, and might get you in there.

2- Be honorably discharged from the military with some specialization that has anything to do with wires.

3- Be lucky enough to apply at some random company at the exact instant they are feeling like hiring.

Beyond that, all I can say is be humble. Nobody can know everything. The person who is a valuable member of any team is the one who figures out how to learn what they don't know. Maybe some idiot manager likes to hear "hey, no problem!" when you are tasked with something you have never done and don't know how to do. The right answer is "I've never done that before, but I'll give it a shot and let you know."

And never reboot servers without telling people. If it's running and people are working, it is rude to interfere with that.
posted by gjc at 7:20 PM on September 15 [3 favorites]

gjc, AMEN!
posted by raildr at 7:30 PM on September 15

Colleges, due to the tradition of student employment, might be more open-minded about hiring people without much experience or formal qualifications. You'll also get onto the campus, where you can sit in on courses and meet the local geeks. Volunteer work, whether open-source programming or lending a hand with the servers at your local library/school/etc., is probably nice on a resume.

Just be sure in all of this that you're learning what you want to learn. There's a middle ground between selfishly demanding training (not very common) and accidentally becoming the de-facto MalBytes monkey for the entire building (very, very easy). Finding that middle ground probably involves a clear discussion of both parties' goals before your first day, but I'll let you know when I figure it out.
posted by d. z. wang at 9:59 PM on September 15

+1 on anticertifications.

Just help everyone you know fix their computers.
Especially help the people with businesses.
And then mention that you can do this monthly.
Then they will ask you to show up weekly, and then hourly.

Get a good client that knows the local rates.
Bill right at the high end of the local rates.

You will do fine.
(PM Me for more info)
posted by edmo at 1:51 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

I fell into tech from being 'the guy that can make it work'. IT support is a lot like being a decent mechanic or electrician - Problem Solving Skills. Like gjc said, if you know what it's supposed to do, and can figure out how it's supposed to do it, where it's failing and how to make it do it again, you're golden.

I have several of the listed certifications. Very little of getting them was to learn how to do stuff, and most of it was to be able to show that I could easily. I know guys with tons of certifications that make great managers, but aren't the person you throw into the trenches.

As far as real advice - at least one thing i think has helped - I've only bought 2 'new' computers in 20 years. Build your own, resurrect stuff you inherit, scavenge, whatever. Making things work that didn't come out of a box shiny and new teaches you more than any certification book will.

Google is your friend. Odds are, someone else has had the problem.

Read. Magazines used to be the way to go, but honestly, any decent tech journal is online before in print. There are too many sites covering technology news to be behind.
posted by pupdog at 2:55 AM on September 16

As much as would like to join in on the bashing of certs, the fact of that matter is that the lower level you are the more important they are to many hiring managers. For a support person with no experience it could be the difference between getting called in for an interview and not getting called it. You decide if you need them.
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:50 AM on September 16

"IT support, at least on a commercial level, all about getting your customer back working again, or about restoring systems to correct functionality:

1- What's wrong?
2- What's it supposed to do?
3- [make it do that]
4- Profit.

Nobody cares about your mad skillz at registry hacking. All they care about is that you put humpty dumpty back together again as quickly as possible."

On a very basic level.. this is probably true..... but I'd like to add the following scenario/question:

Lets say your car is broken, and you take it to the mechanic. Of the following 2 choices, which do you find as the more attractive option:

1.) The mechanic who fixes the obvious problem and sends you on your way.

2.) The mechanic who fixes the obvious problem, but also goes out of his way to fix a couple small not-so-obvious problems (or at a minimum, tells you about them)... and then sends you on your way...

My point being that you will "win" more loyal customers if you keep your eyes open and show an interest in fixing things they might not have even noticed. (Example: "Hey Mr Customer, I updated your video driver which solved the game crashing problem you were having. While I was working on your system I also defragged your hard drive, updated your motheboard BIOS, blew out all the dust/dirt and wiped down the exterior so it looks clean/new. Here's your bill and a few of my business cards." )

Word of mouth is powerful. Treat customers with a fair shake and put a little extra effort into each encounter and you'll be successful.
posted by jmnugent at 2:20 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the answers everyone.

First I must say I'd like to side with the cert bashers. One of the freelance IT guys in this town is completely uncertified and his phone # is in our drawer at work as the dedicated contact for IT issues. He worked in a computer store for a few years. Besides, I live in a Ski town and this places a lot of restraints on educational resources and only Whistler-Blackcomb employ their own IT staff and they barely even keep enough around to do anything that can't be done in India (My uncle is one of these guys).

I have a steady retail job (which is rare) and I can only afford to ditch it for a computer related job. A computer store would be a perfect position to bridge the gap as my retail experience and referances are more than enough to get me any retail job that's hiring. I also have a friend who's worked many years as an IT guy for Wal-Mart who is now retired (he's a Mac Guy). Between my uncle and my friend I can get a lot of education.

I've also figured out a few high-profile organizations that need websites. I think I'll start there.
posted by Pseudology at 7:23 PM on September 16