Where to look? Most anywhere. The author has worked on computer equipment in every place imaginable. Airports, hospitals, government offices, railroad yards, retail stores, restaurants, scrap yards, NASA, wholesale companies, lawyer's offices, freight forwarders, dairies, liquor distributors, schools, churches, the oil patch, daycare centers, caterers, domed sports stadiums, auto dealers, military bases, ocean going vessels, just to name a few.

In house is where the IT does not need to go to the equipment. It may be a shop where equipment is brought in for service, or the IT may be an employee of the end user.

You might be employed by a very large manufactiring concern that uses computer equipment to monitor and control manufacturing processes. You may be one person on a team of people all performing the same tasks. You might be one of several network administrators. A large company that sells directly to the public needs people to assemble systems from component units. Sometimes you may assemble the systems, stage them for a period of time to burn them in.

You might be hired by a small computer store to do in house service. You might assemble computers from major components. You might be required to go to the customer site on occasion. You will probably work in sales also in this environment.

Don't forget about the temporary agencies. Many of them offer temporary-to-permanent (or, temp-to-perm) positions where a temporary position becomes permanent after a period of time.

Some corporate offices may have a single network administrator. He/she will probably handle help desk duties also. The network administrator may be required to perform such duties as data entry if the network duties are light. Web site maintenance is another possible duty for this jack of all trades.

Field Service is where the IT goes to the equipment to provide service. The IT might work for a service company that provides service under contract for equipment users. He/she may be assigned to a specific geographical area, or territory. Service calls are usually assigned by a dispatcher. The IT may have several calls pending. He/she should prioritize them depending on proximity, customer impact, perceived difficulty of repair, etc. The field service IT might be assigned to a single customer as a resident IT. In a smaller shop the IT may work both in house and in the field.

A remote location is one where there are only one to several ITs in an area where the employer does not maintain an office. They may receive service assignments through an answering service, or directly from the customer. Generally though, service calls are placed to an 800 number.

A late model automobile is almost always required for the field service IT. A telephone credit card is almost always furnished by the company. The IT is usually reimbursed for miles driven, parking, and toll fees., If other than local travel is required, a credit card may also be issued. Tools and a wireless phone are normally furnished.

There are a few free lance ITs in the field. Most are quite seasoned with years of experience. The main difficulty is gaining a reputation for good service. Most free lance ITs work by contract.

Links

So you want to be an IT pro?

Where are all of the jobs?

Your Resume

Your Education

The Interview

Positions and Salaries

Clark Simmons
PO Box 293
Round Rock Texas 78680-0293 USA

512 246-2597


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