Vocational Index

Career

Computer user support specialists

Help people solve their computer problems.

$61,860
Median pay
-3.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
39,700
Openings a year
Some college, no degree
Typical education
Varies
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • Oversee the daily performance of computer systems.
  • Set up equipment for employee use, performing or ensuring proper installation of cables, operating systems, or appropriate software.
  • Read technical manuals, confer with users, or conduct computer diagnostics to investigate and resolve problems or to provide technical assistance and support.
  • Answer user inquiries regarding computer software or hardware operation to resolve problems.
  • Install and perform minor repairs to hardware, software, or peripheral equipment, following design or installation specifications.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition-3.7%2025–35 edition-3.5%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 40,800 → 39,700 openings a year.

AI
BLS now cites artificial intelligence in this occupation's outlook: “share decreases as more businesses offshore their computer user support or solve computer troubleshooting needs using generative artificial intelligence (AI).”

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Information & systems
6.0
Objects & tools
4.1
Ideas & analysis
3.8
People & care
3.3
Persuasion & leadership
2.4
Creation & expression
1.0

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then objects & tools?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Oversee the daily performance of computer systems.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

Varies of education after high school (some college, no degree), for a median of $61,860 a year and 39,700 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

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Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.