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IT Technician skills: what to learn first, and what can wait

An IT technician gets hired for their hands. If you can open a laptop, image it, cable it and get it on the network without drama, you're most of the way to a first job. Learn the physical skills first, then the tools that let you fix many machines at once.

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Step one

Gets you the interview

Laptop and desktop hardware repairSwapping RAM, drives, batteries, keyboards and screens is daily work. Buy a dead laptop cheap, take it apart and put it back together until it feels routine, because many interviews include a bench test.

Windows and macOS imagingSetting up machines is a big share of the job. Know how to build a USB installer, apply a company image and get a Mac through setup with the right account, so a stack of new hires doesn't scare you.

Structured cabling basicsCrimping and testing an Ethernet cable, reading jack labels and tracing a run back to the patch panel. A lot of candidates only know Wi-Fi, so this sets you apart fast.

Printer and peripheral troubleshootingPrinters, scanners, docks and badge printers eat a surprising amount of your week. Learn how print queues, drivers and static IP addresses fit together so you fix the whole floor, not one PC.

Step two

Gets you the offer

Intune and Autopilot device enrollmentMore shops enroll laptops through the cloud instead of imaging them by hand. If you can explain how a device gets its apps and policies without you touching it, you sound like someone who knows the modern setup.

Asset management and inventoryTechnicians hold the hardware, so they usually keep the records. Tagging devices, logging serials and tracking loaners in a tool like Snipe-IT or the ServiceNow asset module shows you won't lose laptops.

Conference room and AV setupDisplays, HDMI and USB-C adapters, room cameras and Teams or Zoom room kits. The rooms fail at the worst moment, and a hiring manager wants someone who can fix them before the meeting is ruined.

Secure device wiping and disposalKnowing how to wipe a drive properly, reset a device remotely and document disposal keeps company data safe. It's a quick way to show you take security seriously.

Step three

Gets you promoted

PowerShell scriptingScripting the repetitive parts of setup, like mapping drives or pulling a list of machines missing updates, is the clearest sign you're ready for systems work.

Group Policy and patch managementLearning how policies and update rings reach every machine moves you from fixing one computer to managing all of them, which is the sysadmin job.

Switch and VLAN basicsKnowing how to check a port, change a VLAN and read a switch config lets you close network tickets yourself and opens the network admin route.

Writing runbooks and leading small projectsTechnicians who document their fixes and run an office move or a hardware refresh get noticed. Leads promote the person they already trust to own a project.

Certificates worth your time

Certificate	Best for	Effort	Worth it?
CompTIA A+	Getting your first technician or help desk job	a couple of months of evenings	Worth it. It's the certificate job posts name most often for this role, and it covers the hardware and OS work you'll actually do.
CompTIA Network+	Technicians who want to own cabling and network tickets	a couple of months of steady study	Good second step, especially if the network admin route appeals to you.
Google IT Support Professional Certificate	Career changers who want a structured start	a few months at your own pace	Useful for learning the basics, but A+ carries more weight with most hiring managers for hands-on roles.
CompTIA Security+	Technicians aiming at government contracts or security work	a couple of months of focused study	Worth it later, or sooner if posts in your area ask for it.

Check the provider's site for current exam versions, costs and renewal rules before you book anything.

Put it on your résumé like this

Weak

Fixed computers and set up new equipment for employees.

Strong

Imaged and deployed 140 laptops across 3 offices using Intune and Autopilot, cutting new-hire setup from 4 hours to 45 minutes.

Questions people ask

What should an IT technician learn first?

Hardware repair and imaging. Those are the skills you'll use every day and the ones a bench test checks. Scripting and cloud tools can come once you're in the job.

Is CompTIA A+ enough to get hired as an IT technician?

It often is when you pair it with proof you've done the work, like a home lab, a repair job or volunteer IT for a school or church. The certificate gets you noticed, and the stories get you hired.

Do IT technicians need to know networking?

Yes, at least the physical side and the basics of IP addressing. You'll trace cables and test jacks often, and knowing a bit about switches helps you close tickets without waiting on the network team.

How do I practise IT technician skills without a job?

Build a small home lab with an old PC, a cheap switch and a free Windows Server evaluation. Rebuild used laptops, set up a domain, break things on purpose and fix them.

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