Technology is vital to most businesses: they use it, they need it, they can’t function without it. Technology is also constantly changing, and often breaking down. That means every business, in almost every sector, depends on IT support staff to keep their technology running smoothly.
As a result, IT support is a growing and essential job – one that commands a good salary and has plenty of opportunities.
An Important Career Can Be Accessible
IT support workers are the glue that keeps a company’s technology running – from hardware to software. IT Support staff can answer user questions, manage network configurations, create data backups, manage upgrades, and more. It’s a hands-on job that requires a strong understanding of today’s technology, and the ability to learn about tomorrow’s.
It’s also a career with the potential for growth, with industry analysts saying there are often more job openings than there are qualified candidates. The field is expected to grow by 13% through 2030, with millions of jobs available. According to job websites, the average base salary of an IT support worker in California is over $25 an hour, with many companies and municipalities paying much more.
Best of all, for people looking to start a career in technology, IT support is a job that someone can begin at any time: all they need is the right skills.
Free Online Community College Offers The Right Training
The CompTIA A+ certification is the industry standard for entering the IT field, and Calbright offers online programs to prepare for it in under a year. Students can set their own schedule, study whenever and wherever they want, and have access to support and community – and it’s all free for California residents.
Calbright also works with employers and IT support professionals to determine the critical skills employees need to hit the ground running and succeed at their new jobs. Calbright’s program isn’t just training students to get the job – it’s preparing them to excel in it.
Once students have completed their courses, Calbright will pay for their CompTIA A+ exams, and help them with their job search. This helps students get new, better careers and gives businesses the trained employees they need.
That’s because, just as IT support is a relatively new kind of career, Calbright is a new kind of college: a free, online, career focused, community college that finds ways to meet students where they are. We use Competency-Based Education to measure what students actually know, instead of how long they’ve spent in class. Students who understand the material can move through quickly, while students who need extra time can have it with no penalties.
At Calbright, students can study in whatever way works best for them and fits into their lives. We’ll support them. All that matters is that when students complete their program, they have the skills they need to get a better job.
That’s why a new kind of college is the right fit for a new kind of career.
