Your Questions About Computer Network Support

Free PC Help staff answers:

If you think the going rate is $60-100, offer your services for a bit cheaper to start out. When you’re able to build a clientele you can then increase your rate when you take on new clients (supply and demand at it’s best). Some clients might not be as concerned about the hourly rate, but will want a price quote for the whole project. Another thing you might want to consider is incorporating or getting business insurance. If you make a mistake and it costs a company money, you want to make sure your personal assets are covered. Good luck!

Free PC Help staff answers:

Computer Support service career is more stretching

Free PC Help staff answers:

Of the things you listed, “applied networking and systems administration” and “information technology” (IT) are going to be closest to what you want, with the former being furthest from it, and the latter being closest.

“Hardware support” is definitely and IT function.

“Network support” is an “applied networking and systems administration” function if it doesn’t involve such things as installation and configuration of LAN cards and other hands-on hardware-related stuff. If there’s hands-on hardware work, then it’s “hardware support,” too.

“Information Systems” (IS) and “Information Technology” (IT) are the two broadest categories.

IS people can be IT people and vice versa; but in large companies where specialization is needed, IS people tend to be more software systems oriented, and IT people tend to be more hardware systems oriented. But even THAT generalization has its deficits.

From an academic standpoint, the terms “information systems” (IS) and “computer information systems” (CIS) usually mean about the same thing.

The term “management information systems” (MIS) is more of a sub-category of either IS or CIS in that it deals, specifically, with business management processes. MIS is a term used less and less in the real world. MIS Managers of yesterday are usually called IT Managers today. That all depends on the company, however.

The term “applied networking and systems administration” is very specifically related to the task of being a “network administrator” for a company. A network administrator usually doesn’t do hands-on hardware repair/replacement/installation work (but sometimes does).

The term “information security and forensics” is a very specialized area, wholly unto itself. It deals with all manner of malware, hardware and software firewalls, packet sniffers, password strategies and management, login security, etc. In most environments, that’s where it ends, leaving the “forensics” to yet a different kind of specialist.

Computer or information systems “forensics” deals, primarily, with looking at computer systems (desktop machines, workstations, LAN servers, web servers, etc.) and trying to figure out who did what and when. Police departments, for example, hire computer forensics experts (or put a few of their detectives through the training) so they can look at a suspect’s computer and figure out what illegal things s/he might have been doing with it.

The problem with all of this is that everyone tosses around these terms so freely, and without any real understanding of what they were intended to mean, that it’s all kind of pointless getting to worried about it. So much of it doesn’t even MEAN anything anymore. Different companies have different IT- or IS-related job titles doing so many things which said titles don’t really include, that it’s all a big joke, now.

Sure, at really BIG companies, with CIOs and/or CTOs who actually GET it, and with well-organized IS and IT departments beneath them, the job categorizations and titles are actually quite well defined and limited. In such companies, a specialist can really specialize… And will typically not be insulted by being asked to do things not really in their job desciption.

Also — and this is important — no matter what you go to school for, it’s the advanced (often vendor-specific) additional certifications that you get which will more accurately and/or specifically define you and your skills to potential employers.

If you want to be a hardware jockey (which is what you wrote that you’re interested in doing… And if it isn’t, then you used the wrong terminology to describe your interest), then get as generalized and broadly-based a computer degree as you can…

…and then get every certification you can handle, yet which doesn’t take you too far away from your core interest.

If you want to be a hardware jockey (both on the desktop, and in the server room), then you’ll need the first five (5) (and only the first five) certifications listed on this web page:

http://www.comptia.org/certifications/listed.aspx

And you should probably get them in the order listed there.

Then you’ll need your Microsoft certification(s). It’s a Microsoft world, like it or not. And as a hardware jockey, the two at which you should be looking most are the MCDST and/or the MCSE. Once you have a better idea in which more specific areas you might like to become expert and/or specialize, other Microsoft certifications may interest you as well. They’re all listed here:

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/view-by-name.aspx

Finally, you’ll probably want to demonstrate that you’re deadly serious by getting at least one CISCO certification… Most likely at LEAST the CCNA… Maybe even the CCNP. All Cisco certs are listed here:

http://cisco.com/web/learning/le3/learning_career_certifications_and_learning_paths_home.html

There are a GAZILLION other certifications out there… Most of which you shouldn’t even worry about… Or even bother yourself to read about… Except that if you do, here they are:

http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/ComputerCertifications.asp

So important are certifications these days that you almost don’t need a college degre beneath them… Except that these days, no one will hire you unless you at least have an associates (preferably a bachelors), even if it’s in a non-IT-related area. The certs convey that you know what you’re doing. The degree is just the foundation. In fact, if one doesn’t have a degree, but has the certs, then how it usually works is that the IT Director sees the certs on the resume and gets all impressed and decides to hire you; but then the HR manager sees no degree and stops the hire. So you HAVE to have a degree. If you’re certain that you want to go into IT, then get the degree in IT.

THEN GET CERTIFIED: CompTIA, then Microsoft, then Cisco.

Then you’re golden.

Free PC Help staff answers:

I’m in Omaha, NE and I charge based on who I’m helping…if it is a business and it is a non-contract on-call situation, I typically charge between $75-125 per hour, I have in the past worked out a deal with them where the PRE-PAY for 10 or 20 hrs worth of support, then I negoiate a fair deal (that’s the $75/hr figure) For a consumer (someone in a non-business situation and or recommended by someone I know) I charge 40-50 depending on my mood and how well I know you…for friends I charge $25/hr…keep in mind I count travel time to the site, and the minimum I charge is for 1 hours time…even if I get to the location and find nothing wrong or user perception issue (you should make this clear to the client, your time is valuable) If they balk, have them price getting Best Buy or CompUSA to send a tech out …costs upwards of $150/hr!

Hope this helps…

Free PC Help staff answers:

Computer Network specialist works with connecting computers together, And a Computer Support Specialist, helps with making computers work in general.