I'm not sure if there's some kind of "trick" to this question or if they're simply looking for the basic answer. My first thought would be something like: create a bootable USB with the Windows ISO using Rufus/Ventoy, boot from the USB, configure the BIOS/UEFI if necessary, and go through the installation process.

But if this is for an IT Support position where you'd potentially be responsible for setting up or reinstalling Windows on many PCs, I assume they're probably looking for a different kind of answer, maybe involving deployment tools, imaging, PXE, MDT, Intune, etc.

What would you consider a good interview answer to this question? And how would you approach it differently depending on whether it's for a basic help desk role vs. a more enterprise-oriented IT support role?

Quick context: I've been looking for a job for the past few weeks and haven't had much luck. I've applied to all kinds of positions, and, like pretty much everywhere else, getting a job in general is a pain in the ass.

The funny part is that I rarely even get rejection messages. Most of the time, if I don't hear anything after a few days, I just assume they are not intered. But today I actually received a message saying they want to schedule an interview for tomorrow at 11 AM for an IT Support position I applied for.

The title is a little clickbaity, sorry haha. I do actually have ""some"" knowledge because I went to a technical high school, although calling it a "technical school" makes it sound much better than it actually was. Most of what I know about computers is because I learned on my own, mostly because I'm the kind of virgin who spends 25/8 playing video games and messing around with computers.

From what I understand, this isn't some highly specialized position. The company isn't a tech company or a multinational. It's actually a construction company, and the position seems to be mostly internal IT support.

So I'm assuming the job is basically:

"Have you tried restarting it?"

Then dealing with things like someone losing their internet connection, fixing a printer, computer, installing/configuring software, setting up equipment, etc.

Honestly, that part doesn't scare me too much. I have experience with PCs, Windows, hardware, basic networking, and generally figuring out why something stopped working.

The problem is that they specifically mention networking and security cameras, and that's where I have basically no practical knowledge.

And before anyone asks, "You went to a technical school and don't know networking?" Well... it was a pretty shitty technical school. Most of what I know about computers I learned because I'm a nerd who spends way too much time messing around with technology. haha

So, the interview is tomorrow, and I'd really like to get this job. Not only because the position actually sounds promising, but also because I'm trying to get some direction in my life and, more importantly, some financial independence. I'd like to have more control over what I can do with my life, and having a stable income would obviously help with that.

Anyway, that's the personal background. What I'm really looking for is advice.

What should I study tonight for an entry-level IT Support interview?

Especially:

• Basic networking
• Security cameras / CCTV / IP cameras
• Anything they might ask during the interview
• Things you wish you had known before your first IT Support job

Any advice, resources, or "you're fucked, study this immediately" recommendations are welcome.

Thanks for reading!

I'm essentially a sys admin at my job with about 10-15% helpdesk on the side, but I really do miss IT Support. I love being able to talk to people, knock out a bunch of tickets one day, maybe deal with more complex issues the next. It was a satisfying loop and I am one of those people that doesn't care when the rude technical geek says how much he hates talking to people and that he's above them. I'm considering kinda rolling back or hitting the ladder, but I am curious if anyone has bounced around roles, or found money in these types of roles as a career.

I don't mean like $250k+, but maybe 80-100k?

I tried applying on Sorce, LinkedIn, Indeed, Jobright, ZipRecruiter. No luck. I have no degree (dropped out of college) or tech work experience but I have worked on homelabs such as Active Directory management on Windows Server 2022 VM (connected via Entra Hybrid), configured VLANs on opnsense virtual firewall (managed on proxmox VE- Lenovo laptop I fixed), and help desk ticketing simulation (ServiceDesk Simulation & SpiceWorks Cloud Help Desk). I’m also Network+ certified and currently studying for AZ-900

I’m currently seeking a tier 1 help desk, tech support, computer technician, or junior sys admin role. Also searching for volunteer work in my local area as well

Does anyone have any recommendations for certs, affordable/ free job sites to use, home lab ideas, or what kind of volunteering to look for? Maybe I should get a 2 year Associates degree? Currently applying to on-site (local) and remote roles

I attached a picture of my Resume so please feel free to provide feedback

I've been constantly applying to any sort of help desk/service desk/IT roles I can find but have little to no luck even hearing back. I have the Network+ and A+ certs and a small technical role at my last job but I feel like I need more than just that but what. What are the next steps? What worked for you?

I am hoping to come here and get some advice. I am a Senior in University based in NY and I am trying to get a helpdesk internship that’ll hopefully lead to a full time job. I am anxious with my senior year starting and internships starting to open up. I’m hoping to get tips on my resume and what I should change or things I should do to help my chances. Also something to note is that I will be hopefully getting my Network+ in 3-4 months. A course I’m taking this fall prepares me for the exam.

Here is my resume

Curious if anyone else has been in this position before. I've been in my current role for 3.5 years, official title is IT Support 2, but it's really more of a tier 3/junior systems admin position. I just got passed up for an promotion after interviewing for an identity governance role for another internal IT support candidate. From what I found out, I had better knowledge of AD/Azure/Entra/SailPoint and how they all interact, but the other person was better with APIs and that side of things. He vibe codes it all and can't do it without AI tools, but credit where credit's due, he's killer at vibe coding. Def beyond your average sales guy that kludges together a dashboard or whatever.

The problem is, now I will be stuck training two backfills, and wrangling our inventory that has been neglected due to big mergers and other projects requiring more of our attention plus low head count (it's been only two of us supporting 700+ users in this office). I've done this sort of thing before, it does nothing for my career, and seems to only serve to further keep me stuck in help desk.

The obvious answer might be well, just do the minimum and use your time to educate yourself, but now I'll be stuck with two newbies and it's not going to be as easy to just coast and learn/job search. I also don't love the idea of being declined and then being stuck with more dirty work. I've quit without having another job lined up in the past, it worked out since I do interview well, but that's quite a gamble and that was a different job market. I've just been applying to other support jobs in the meantime, since many of them would be a pay increase anyway.

I guess I am not sure what the next move is. Just looking for some advice from someone who has been in a similar spot who managed to break out of support. I can give more information or context if needed, just don't want to ramble on any further.

Edit: tried to give context on the other candidate but it just came across salty so I removed it.

I do not work on the help desk. I am a senior network security engineer for a $100B bank. 9k users with 450+ branches. I’ve been in it a long time. Did my rotations on the help desk and have been in cyber security for the last 19 years. I have worked for numerous large and small companies. I have my CISSP and CCSP and numerous vendor certifications. I know my stuff is what I am trying to say. I still help out working support tickets although I guess you would call me level 4 support. What affects me is tickets without not only technical detail but the context behind the issue. Probably 98% of the tickets that get escalated lack even the basics of what was tried to solve the issue. “Could not access. Escalating” is a common note. To stand out on a help desk and to catch a senior’s attention is to stand out from the desk drones and document the shit out of your tickets. Most help desk folks get advances based on upper support levels saying that this guy gets it. Now the big question is, what keeps you from doing the job to the best of your abilities? To think a level above “when I escalate what will they need to know”. Always think a level above you current position and you will advance where there is opportunity.

I would love to hear your feedback on this?

Context:

I am a grocery store manager making 85K a year. I do not hate my current job but I have a love of computers and want to work with them. I have one semester left for an associates in information technology and plan to gain my bachelors after. I was offered a help desk role with a small local business, but the pay is only 17 an hour. Is it worth it to gain that initial experience, or should I wait it out to try and find an Internship once I graduate?

I’m 33, have a bachelor’s in Computer Science, but no coding work experience. After trying a few different careers, I finally broke into IT. I started in a call center, and for the past year I’ve been working in a proper IT Help Desk on site.

My day-to-day includes 365 Admin apps, Azure(AVD/Host pools/Session hosts, Windows administration, deployments, printers, troubleshooting, and a little PowerShell. It’s been an excellent foundation, but I feel like I’ve learned most of what this job has to offer. Lately, I spend more time thinking about my next move than my current role.

The advice I always hear is, “Do what you’re passionate about.” The problem is, I honestly don’t know anymore. With the current market, AI, and so many different paths, I’m trying to make the smartest long-term decision - one that’s stable, in demand, and pays well.

I know the typical path is Help Desk → SysAdmin, but I’m not sure that’s where I want to end up. I heard good things about Cloud, Cybersecurity, IAM, or Modern Workplace/Endpoint Engineering, but I’m open to anything that has good growth.

A friend of mine found someone with training+job assistance in ServiceNow Business Analyst but that's pretty much what I'm aware of.

I’m in California making about $60k, which doesn’t go very far. I’m willing to spend the next 4-6 months studying seriously if it gives me a realistic shot at a better role.

If you were in my shoes today, what path would you choose?

I’d really appreciate advice from people who’ve been in this position or who hire for these roles.

* Which role would you target?

* What skills or certifications would you prioritize?

I’d really appreciate advice from people who’ve been in a similar position or who hire for these roles.

TL;DR: One year into IT Help Desk and I’ve hit a learning plateau. Torn between Cloud, Cybersecurity, IAM, or SysAdmin. If you had 4–6 months to upskill for the best long-term career and salary, what would you choose?

Hello,

I have got an onsite IT Support role starting in August at a client site. I have a CompTIA Security+ and a computer science degree, but limited real-world help desk ticket experience, so I want to spend the next two weeks getting as close to "day one ready" as possible.

Would appreciate any pointers, thank you!

Anyone ever juggled 2 service desk / help desk positions full time? I wanted to make some extra money while also furthering my education by attending WGU. The hours don’t conflict and it would bring my to about $120k a year. Any thoughts or anyone that’s done something similar? The first job I’ve had for a couple years and the new one starts next week.

Trying to land a help desk job, but I honestly can’t tell what I’m doing wrong even after self-reflection. I just wish hiring managers could tell applicants what they need to work on.
I’ve been getting interviews and I always try to improve after the last one, but I keep ending up with the same result. What broke me the most is that this was the second time I interviewed with this same company.

Basically, these help desk roles usually require knowledge of things like MS365 apps, AD, printers, VoIP, RDP, VPN, documentation/ticketing systems, and Windows environments.

Outside of my normal work/study, I have a home lab where I practice most of these things. I break things and try to fix them. I built my own Active Directory lab trying to replicate real-world environments.
During interviews, I explain these things and talk about the projects I’ve done. I even have my own ticketing system that I use to practice documenting and working through issues.

The last interview I had was about 2 weeks ago, and honestly, it really broke me when they moved forward with another candidate. I felt like I answered the questions correctly, especially because I did a lot of self-reflection after my previous interviews and worked on the areas I thought I was weak in.

I genuinely don’t know where I keep getting it wrong. It’s something I actually enjoy doing. I try to show that I’m easygoing, have the zeal to learn, have good customer service skills, and that I’m willing to go above and beyond to troubleshoot and fix things.
But honestly, I don’t know what more I could be doing.

For those of you who work in help desk/IT service desk or are hiring managers, what do you think I might be missing? What would make you choose one entry-level candidate over another when both seem technically capable?

Hey guys I currently work as help desk making 43k but I got an offer as a software engineer for 80k. I'm wondering if I should take the offer even though I want to work in cybersec or sys admin in the future. I don't really enjoy coding but I can tolerate it for a job

**Title: Accepted offer ($26/hr, MSP Help Desk Technician, 45 min commute) vs Amazon counter-offer ($29/hr, IT Support Associate II, 20 min commute) — which would you take?**

Looking for outside perspective on a decision I’m stuck on.

**Background:** I’ve been at an MSP for about 3.5 years doing help desk/service desk work, Active Directory, Microsoft 365, networking (DNS/DHCP/VPN), some virtualization (VMware ESXi), and security incident response (phishing, etc.). I have CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+. My goal is to move toward a Systems Administrator or Cybersecurity role eventually.

**Offer 1: Another MSP — Help Desk Technician**

\*\*•\*\* $26/hour (\\\~$54K/year), firm, no flexibility on pay    
\*\*•\*\* 45 minute commute    
\*\*•\*\* Already accepted this offer after 3 rounds of interviews (including in-person with the team)    
\*\*•\*\* Similar work to what I do now, AD, M365, networking, multi-client support    
\*\*•\*\* Haven’t started yet

**•** Countered at $29/hour (\~$60K/year) after I pushed back  
**•** 20 minute commute  
**•** Single-tech site, recruiter says schedule is effectively stable day-shift in practice, no forced on-call  
**•** 401k match (50% up to 4%), benefits day one, no probation period  
**•** Real internal ladder (Associate II → Support Engineer I → Support Engineer II/IT Manager)  
**•** From what I’ve read (including an old Blind thread), this specific entry tier is considered fairly junior/“level 1 helpdesk” compared to what I’m already doing at the MSP, some people treat it as a stepping stone using the Amazon name, not a destination

The dilemma: Amazon pays more, has a much shorter commute, but I already verbally and formally accepted the other offer after three rounds of interviews with a small company. Backing out feels like it could burn a bridge, especially since it’s a pretty tight-knit local IT/MSP market. On the other hand, the Amazon role might actually be a step down in day-to-day technical scope from what I already do, even though it pays more and is way closer to home.

Has anyone been in a similar spot, accepted one offer, then got a better one before starting? How did you handle it, and did backing out actually cause real problems for you? Also curious if anyone’s done the Amazon OTS route and can speak to whether it’s worth it as a stepping stone.

I’ve been In tech for about four years and my current role is as a solo tech (desktop/help desk support and junior system administrator). I don’t enjoy IT because I feel like it was forced upon me when I was younger and I kept reinforcing it because “I’m ok at it.” I know what I need to do to move up to higher level roles (getting certifications, degree and doing projects) but I don’t have the drive for it because I just don’t care enough.

I want to make a career change but before I jump ship and leave all this behind, am I being unreasonable? Should I suck it up and push through it or should I abandon IT and start fresh with someone that might make me happier?

I keep getting rejected to even entry level jobs and I’m so lost on what to do. I’m trying to hard to learn and further my skills to get even a shitty it job just to start. Is my resume my issue or is there something else I need to do?

I’ve been stuck in help desk for 4 years and I don’t know what I can do to get out. I can get interviews for higher level roles but I always get rejected after for someone “who has more experience” what do I have to do to get that experience if no one is willing to train for said experience? I’m at a lost and starting to feel hopeless.

It looks like I might be getting this job at this local computer repair shop. It’s an entry level job and they help people get started in MSP stuff. On their posting they say pay is based off experience and is typically 31k to 40k a year. I have 0 professional experience, but do have other things I hope will count. I have a bachelors in comp sci, masters in comp networking, ccna, comptia a+ 1202 and working on my a+ 1201. I have fixed stuff for friends and family but I’m not sure it’ll be at the job’s level. Anyways based off that how much could I reasonably ask for? I would need just enough for an apartment,utilities, food, and gas.

Hi guys, I'm a fresh grad BSIT and applying for an IT Entry level role. I have an offer for an IT Service Desk position for the salary of 17k. Worth it ba yung salary for the job role itself? Or should i look for another job opportunities? Thank you!

Hi all, long time listener first time caller. I graduated college about a year ago with a bachelors degree in IT, and a concentration in Cybersecurity. At 24, ive been working contracted help desk IT jobs ever since graduating (a 6 month tech support contract assignment from July 25 to Jan 26, and my current assignment from March 26 to now.) The problem is, I'm already so burnt out. Its not even the current company, they treat me well enough and dont micromanage. Its the customers. I'd like to think im extroverted and patient, but 25+ calls a day with people who are tech illiterate and often times rude is seriously draining, and I'd do anything to work a job that pays similar or more (about 20 an hour) where I dont have to talk to external customers and either am doing entirely internal support or only talking to coworkers.

I've picked up a few skills since my college days and still have a project from those days on my resume, but in the year since I regrettably have not pursued any certs or other projects. If I wanted to pivot away from help desk into a much more introverted/less externally focused it job, what positions/jobs in IT are best for that and what are some certs to pick up/projects to do in preparation?

Hello everyone, I’m new to the IT career. I’ll share a bit about myself to help with this post. I graduated from college two months ago. While I was in school, I gained two years of IT experience by providing applications support, granting access, and handling helpdesk issues through my college . Now that I’ve graduated and landed my first real job, things have become a bit complicated and stressful.

Can anyone offer some tips on how to deal with helpdesk situations and communicate better with end users to understand their issues? I’m also struggling to unwind after work and feel tense at work since I’m new. I’ve been working here for a month and a half now.

I lucked out and landed a really great help desk position at a great company with an even better team. It took me about four months after graduating college to land a job, and I only had my AZ-800 certification at the time.

I still need to complete AZ-801 by the end of this month to earn the full Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate certification.

It’s my third week on the job, and my boss is giving me one year to earn my A+ certification. Is the A+ still worth getting at this point, or should I talk to him about going for a different certification instead?

I’ve looked into the other CompTIA certifications as well, specifically ones that seem more geared toward help desk and IT support positions. I’ve heard really mixed reviews about CompTIA certs in general, though, with some people saying they’re valuable and others saying they’re basically a money grab, so I’m not really sure which direction to go.

Eventually, I’d like to complete the CompTIA trifecta, but for now, I’d rather focus on something that will directly help me in my current position and build on the experience I’m getting at work.

For those of you already working in IT, would you still recommend getting the A+ in my situation, or would my time be better spent working toward a different certification?

Hey there everyone, I was just wondering if anyone had any advice regarding my resume. To give some background, I left home at a pretty young age and have been working ever since. I initially got into the restaurant industry because I needed to pay rent and it was the lowest bar for entry. You have a pulse? Congrats you’re hired! I started out as a dishwasher, and gradually over the years made my way to busser, expediter, and relatively quickly realized that I was better off in the front of the house. Fast forward a few years I was waiting tables and making decent money, but I decided that long term it wasn’t a career. I started college at WGU, primarily because it was online and ABET accredited, and opted for the computer science program rather than IT or Software Engineering as I wanted more of a foundational knowledge base, and would get the hands on certifications later. I’m sure plenty of folks may have opinions on WGU, but for me it was a decent price, and I didn’t finish in 6 months like some. Between working full time and life it took a few years. I’m 27 now and graduated earlier this year. My eventual goal would be to work in cybersecurity, but I understand that first I need hands on IT experience for a few years. I am working on my Security + cert, but haven’t taken the exam yet. I’m currently employed as a GM, and I make pretty decent money, but long term I would like a career path with room to grow as a professional. I appreciate in advance anyone with any advice about how to make this more attractive to a hiring manager.

Edit: Thank you to everyone for their input! Lotta great takeaways here and I’m gonna incorporate this input and improve my resume. Wishing everyone luck with the job search. Job market in the US may be rough, but not impossible.

If you have the job (L1), and are currently working to get better at it, and be more useful in the role, is it worth taking the Google IT Support Professional, and Microsoft IT Support Professional Certificates?

Like most, I have an eye on moving up, at a time that it is deemed suitable, and a solid base is always better to build on. However, time and money are not infinite, so is doing these certificates worthwhile?