What is a support and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
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A support position is any job where an individual provides assistance and guidance to clients or customers. They may work in various industries such as IT, healthcare, or customer service. The support's main role is to troubleshoot problems and provide solutions to clients or customers. A support must possess excellent communication skills, patience, and a positive attitude. They must also have a thorough understanding of the product or service they are supporting.

ScoreSupportUS Average
Salary
2.8

Avg. Salary $36,227

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.7

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.5
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 10.59%

Black or African American 11.01%

Hispanic or Latino 16.17%

Unknown 5.37%

White 56.45%

Gender

female 48.65%

male 51.35%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress Level
6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
6.5

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
7.4

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Support?

Pros

  • Opportunity to help people

  • Chance to learn new skills

  • Possibility of flexible working hours

  • Option to work remotely

  • Potential for job stability

Cons

  • Can be stressful dealing with difficult customers

  • May have to work long hours or weekends/holidays

  • May require working in shifts

  • Potential for burnout due to high volume of work and pressure to meet targets

  • Limited opportunities for creativity or innovation in the role

Support career paths

Key steps to become a support

  1. Explore support education requirements

    Most common support degrees

    Bachelor's

    43.6 %

    Associate

    20.9 %

    High School Diploma

    19.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific support skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Customer Service38.22%
    Cash Management23.90%
    Customer Satisfaction22.62%
    HR2.76%
    Inventory Control1.93%
  3. Complete relevant support training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New supports learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a support based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real support resumes.
  4. Research support duties and responsibilities

    • Manage SharePoint site user access using ITSM ticketing system, efficiently handle 3 plus trouble tickets daily.
    • Manage office LAN, instituting daily backups of all corporate documents, network-wide virus protection, and firewall security.
    • Prepare and maintain production reports in excel, access, and PowerPoint.
    • Train physicians on how to effectively use CPOE - order entry and order set.
  5. Prepare your support resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your support resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a support resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Support Resume templates

    Build a professional Support resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Support resume.
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  6. Apply for support jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a support job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Support Job

Zippi

Are you a Support?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average support salary

The average Support salary in the United States is $36,227 per year or $17 per hour. Support salaries range between $24,000 and $54,000 per year.

Average Support Salary
$36,227 Yearly
$17.42 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do supports rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Support reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
Pros

You get to help a lot of people in many different ways as well as learning new things about technology


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020
Pros

Helping special needs adults read , write and do math.

Cons

Lifting wheelchair bound individuals to change pull ups and pampers, cleaning bowel movements. No support from leadership when problems arrive. Over crowding classrooms which causes stress to staff and individuals.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019
Pros

I enjoyed the satisfaction of assisting customers and solving problems


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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