Entry Level Computer Jobs

Entry Level Computer Jobs

Typical Entry Level Computer Jobs

Entry level computer jobs differ depending on which branch of computing you have chosen. If you have graduated from college with a degree in computer science there will be plenty of openings for graduate positions.

If you have not however there are several ways in, depending on which branch of IT you are heading for most entry level computer jobs can be found in:

1. ISP/NOC call centres.

2. Corporate helpdesk.

3. Junior programming positions.

4. Freelance PC repair/installation services in your local area.

5. Shop (store) assistant in a computer retail outlet.

1. ISP/NOC callcentres

This is a very common entry level computer job for most people. Typically on a 24/7 shift rota you will take calls from users, log them into a call logging database and either resolve them yourself or escalate them up to the next team.

This is where customer focus skills are absolutely paramount. Patience, understanding and clear communication are what you will exercise in large amounts, your callers will probably be members of the public and you’ll be talking them through getting their Internet connections up and running, setting up email clients, resetting their modems/routers and much more.

Working in a call centre is sometimes referred to as ‘paying your dues’. You should give yourself a target of not staying in a call centre role for longer than 12 months. If you’ve got into a call centre role keep your head down and get some exams that will bump you up the ladder when you have 12 months experience under your belt.

You’ll have to keep up with call stats and metrics which will require you to take ‘x’ amount of calls per shift and resolve ‘y’ amounts of those calls.

Working in a call centre is not the best of entry level computer jobs to be doing but it is a necessary step and you’re on the ladder. Take what experience you can and add it to your resume. After a year of extreme customer focus skill development and a qualification or two you’ll be looking at bigger and better things.

2. Corporate helpdesk

Similar to call centre work in that you’ll start by mainly taking, logging and escalating calls. You’ll get a bit more hands on and be in a different environment to an ISP/NOC (Network Operations Centre) call centre.

These entry level computer jobs differ from company to company depending on factors such as size, budget and department structure. Your users will be employees of the company rather than members of the public.

A great deal of issues will involve office applications (MS Office), email client software (MS Outlook/Lotus Notes), printing, network connectivity problems and the old favourite forgotten passwords. Machine installs (referred to as builds) tend to go to the helpdesk/1st line teams as well I’ve noticed.

This is a much more preferable entry level computer job to land but will be harder to come by. It will more likely be your second job when you’ve paid your dues in the call centre and got some nice certifications on your resume.

I was lucky enough to start in one of these positions. It was a 2 week work placement from a course I asked to be sent on by the unemployment benefit office. In the 2 weeks I was there I worked so hard at learning to make myself useful that they extended my work experience for another 2 weeks then gave me a paid 3 month summer job.

Not everyone will get such a good break as that but it’s worth asking your welfare office if they can send you on a course with possibilities for work experience. It kick started my career and I’ve never looked back.

3. Junior programming positions.

Entry level computer programming jobs are different in nature to support jobs, you don’t deal with members of the public or end users(to a large degree), instead you’ll be reporting to more senior programmers and project managers.

Rather than reacting to user requests for problems to be fixed you’ll be given programming tasks with completion deadlines.

Most large companies have their own development team who work together on large projects producing in house software and then supporting it when problems (bugs) arise. The projects are split up into modules that are then divided up between teams and developers.

The skills to obtain and progress in programming and development are project focus, and the ability to work to deadlines.

4. Freelance PC repair/installation services in your local area.

This is what a lot of people do, it’s an OK way to make some extra cash but more importantly you can build up some experience and references to put on your resume.

More and more people are getting connected online in their homes, mostly all use broadband of some sort and the popularity of wireless broadband is gaining considerable momentum.

This is also quite a competitive market I’ve noticed so if you’re not getting any response to your local advertising you should consider contacting the competition, asking them if they need any help and if they say no offer your services for free in exchange for some exposure and hands on experience.

You never know you might impress enough for them to give you some paid work after a while and a reference for the resume.

5. Working in a computer retail outlet.

A retail outlet can be a useful entry level computer job because you get experience in customer focus, sales and plenty of all round technologies. If you would like to see yourself in computer sales one day this really is the place to start out.

In the larger establishments there are normally ‘repair centers’ that you can gravitate towards if you decide that selling is not for you. Here you can really exercise and develop those hardware skills building PCs from the ground up, performing upgrades and fixing problems.

Computer outlets tend to sell a good range of books as well that you can purchase with a staff discount and further your studies.

Conclusion

This concludes my overview of entry level computer jobs. I hope this information has given you some insight of what to expect from the different types of first positions in the IT industry.

To find out more about please review the sections on getting experience and training.