Though many people think that they know computers, few really do. If you want to work in this field, then you need to be prepared for whatever is thrown at you and remember these important lessons.
- Don’t make the client feel foolish: There is a tendency amongst computer technicians to make their clients feel foolish—don’t do it! You may have the knowledge to fix a simple problem but your client does not. Though they may have something as simple as a flipped switch going on, never make them feel silly for asking you to come in.
- Always appear to know what you are doing: Even if you are in the midst of a problem you have never encountered, don’t let on. Take your time and work through the issue even if it’s new to you. There is a good likelihood that you are going to take on a lot of new issues and that means that you have to just stay calm and stay on top of it.
- Never let them see you sweat: Even if you are stressed by something, the client doesn’t want to see that. They want to know that you can fix the problem and that you will do it without any issues. Even if inside you are freaking out, don’t let the client see that or they will lose confidence.
- Don’t be intimidated by an unknown problem: Again you will encounter new things every day. Don’t let a computer or related issue freak you out. Be diligent, do your research, and be as prepared as possible. Know that you will work through it and that much of your experience and knowledge will come from working on the job.
- Always know when to ask for help: Every computer technician has their limits and they all need to ask for a bit of help sometimes. If you want to make it work, then you need to know when it’s time to do so. Nobody is above help and you shouldn’t feel bad about this.
- Talk through the issue with the client extensively: You want to understand exactly what is happening with a computer as it is happening. If you find that you are stumped, ask them again what was happening when the problem occurred. This can really help you to assess and fix the problem appropriately.
- Learn from past mistakes and issues: You are going to make mistakes and you are going to have issues from your computer past. Take the time to learn from these and to figure out how to move forward by relying on these. With every mistake there is a lesson so carry that with you to fix things up and move past them.
This can be a very rewarding job, but it can also be very challenging. Treat each day as a new lesson and you will be a very successful computer technician.
Mary M. Fred really likes to share knowledge about computers and how interested students can enroll in computer technician courses if this is a field that interests them.