IT Support Specialists are the people who keep everyone else working. You answer questions, fix computers, set up new equipment, and write down what you did. You do not need a degree to start: about a third of workers enter with a post-secondary certificate, and many get hired on skill alone. The job is half technical and half people skills. You listen to a stressed user, work out the real problem, fix it or hand it off with clear notes, and make sure it stays fixed. This roadmap teaches you the why before the how. First comes how computers, networks, and operating systems work. Then you pract
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Every stage from beginner to expert, with lessons, practice drills, projects, interview questions and free resources. Free with a Rolearch account.
Stage 1 of 4 · about 10 weeks
Understand how a PC, operating system, and network work. Build a home lab with a virtual machine, install Windows and Linux, and learn the CompTIA A+ objective topics: hardware, OS, basic networking, and safe troubleshooting. Practice the six-step troubleshooting method: identify the problem, theorize, test, plan, fix and verify, document.
PC hardware and how a computer works
Most support calls start with something physical or something that looks physical: a slow machine, no display, a dead laptop. If you know what each part does, you can narrow down causes quickly instead of guessing.
Home lab: virtual machines with Windows and Linux
A home lab lets you break things safely and practice the same tasks you will do at work. Employers love candidates who say, I built it, broke it and fixed it.
Operating system fundamentals (Windows and Linux)
Users live in the operating system. Nearly every ticket involves settings, files, permissions, updates, apps or services, so you need to move around both Windows and Linux confidently.
Networking basics
A large share of I cannot get online or the site will not load tickets are networking issues. Knowing the basic path from your device to the internet lets you find where it breaks.
Safe troubleshooting, basic security and documentation
Anyone can poke at a problem. A pro follows a repeatable method, avoids making things worse, protects user data and leaves a record so the next person (or you next month) can reuse the fix.
Then 3 more stages (about 62 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 10 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.