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How many years of college do i have to do to become a computer science support specialist ?

I am a 12th grade student and I would like to major in computer science and become a computer science support specialist. #computer-science #college #computer #technology

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Jessica’s Answer

Most people hiring for Computer Science Support Specialists care that you have experience in the area. If you have a lot of experience with computer science support, you might not need a degree at all. However, if you have little or no experience, you could go to school to get the experience. Some places will requires Bachelor's degrees, but most places will only require an Associates Degree.
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Dinesh’s Answer

Computer support specialists troubleshoot and resolve various computer and software issues. They may work in a help-desk environment or provide technical support in an organization's IT department.

A Bachelor of Science in Computer Science is a generalized program that offers essential training in the computer technology field, teaching the basics of computing processes, computing systems, software engineering, and information processing. A bachelor's degree program in computer science includes courses that focus on both the theoretical and practical aspects of computer programming and computer software design. They must complete general education courses in subjects such as science, English composition, and social studies. Students usually need to complete a software design project before graduation.

Bachelor's degree programs in computer science include classes in mathematics and algorithms. Students spend a great deal of time working in computer labs and demonstrating their abilities in software development, computational analysis, program designing and implementation, program testing, and problem-solving. Some typical courses might include:

Computer programming fundamentals and organization
Algorithms
Software engineering and design
Operating systems
Programming databases
Artificial intelligence

Dinesh recommends the following next steps:

Get Computer Science Degree
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Roger’s Answer

If by support specialist, you mean being the one to fix users computers, maintain internet connections, and update software, not really that much.

You can learn all of that in a two-year AA program at a technical college.

If you want to move on to programming, a BS in Computer Science will be more than enough.

Your skills are far more important than your education, in this field.

Roger recommends the following next steps:

See if you can find a public, on-ground technical college in your area.
Make an appointment with an admissions rep, and tell her your goals.
Sign up, take classes toward your AA, then apply for the job you want,
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Gaurav’s Answer

Agree with answer above, to get started you have 3 options

1. Self learn the choice of technology
2. Associate degree
3. Bachelors or Masters depending on how much you want to study.

The more you study the better the chances are to get placed on better positions.

You can start work with an associate degree and complete advanced studies parallel to your job as well.
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Gene’s Answer

Hi Imoni,

I'm a Technical Support Engineer at a software company so I'm not sure if that's the same as a Computer Science Support Specialist but I'm happy to answer, assuming it is. I did not go to college to become a TSE. I graduated high school but I dropped out of college. Later on I attended a 5-month tech bootcamp called Epicodus, then worked as an intern, then got hired 5 months later at New Relic. The program cost about $5000. If you cannot afford this then I recommend using a free online learning resource and then make some apps to demonstrate that you understand the material. Free education in software can go long way and save you a lot of money.

Gene recommends the following next steps:

Learn online for free
Attend an online or in-person software bootcamp to fill in any gaps in your knowledge
Get comfortable with Git and GitHub
Make some full-stack apps (mobile or web)
Go to meetups and meet people in the software industry
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Giselle’s Answer

Hello Imoni,

Great question! Becoming a Computer Science Support Specialist is one of those fields where there are many different paths you can take to get there. I got a job as a Technical Support Engineer after going back to school for a Post-Bachelor's in Computer Science. (I already had an Economics degree and wanted a career switch.) I got the job after completing about a 1/3 of the classes required for the CS degree, which gives a pretty solid foundation for Support roles, while giving me some on the job experience to work towards a Software Engineering role. I know others that gained jobs in Technical Support by going to Code bootcamp or teaching themselves via online resources. That said, what really matters is practice, working on a portfolio and showing enthusiasm for learning! :)

If you want to become a Computer programmer, the 4-year CS degree is a great way to go.
If you want to get into a Support field, Code bootcamp, 2-year Associates degree, etc should be good.

I suggest spending some time defining where you see yourself - IT help desk/System Admin with hardware is different than say, Computer software / QA / debugging code.

Good luck!
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