An examination of the career, salary and training expectations of information technology professionals working in the help desk field

The Information Technology (IT) help desk positions serve as the gateway between the IT department and users. Although IT is one of the most employable job categories, and crucial for business, staffing these positions with properly trained and certified IT personnel and retaining them is a major challenge for IT help desk managers. What are the career, salary and training expectations of IT professionals working in the help desk field? This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to examine the career expectations of IT help desk professionals through five focus groups in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Washington, District of Columbia. While the participants in the focus groups were eager to stay in the IT field, the majority agreed with managers that the help desk position is a transition position in the career field. Training was a concern for both managers and the IT professionals for different reasons. The managers believed the IT personnel from which they had to choose for help desk positions were not properly certified and trained in appropriate areas, while the IT personnel believed there were no clear requirements. Salary expectations were met initially, but were considered inadequate after acquiring a few years of experience.