How to become an IT technician in 2026

The short answer. It is the one trade in this series with no license, no exam and no required schooling in any US state — and the one AI assistants are asked about fifty times more often than Google is. The door in is a help desk or a repair counter, the credential employers screen on is a two-exam entry certification sold by a private certifier, and the pay for the employed is middle-of-the-road from day one: computer user support specialists had a 2025 median of $61,860 — $29.74 an hour — with 10 percent earning $40,980 or less and 10 percent $100,540 or more (O*NET, from BLS data); the networking rung, computer network support specialists, a median of $76,220, with the top tenth at $127,780 or more (O*NET, network support specialists). Those are employees' wages from a survey that counts payrolls, not the one-person shop — the statistics program behind them excludes the self-employed — it does "not provide occupation and wage estimates for farms, the self-employed, owner/partners in unincorporated firms" (Washington ESD, on the OEWS survey); the owners quoted below are outside it. By state, the support-specialist median is $59,490 in Texas (O*NET, Texas), $79,570 in California (California), $58,740 in Florida (Florida) and $72,560 in New York (New York). The two money questions people put to AI assistants — $10,000 a month, which is $120,000 a year, and $4,000 a week, which is $208,000 — sit at the very top of the networking rung's scale and above every figure on the support rung; the answers below say so.

The catch. This is the one occupation on the page whose headcount is projected to shrink: "Employment (2025) 750,600 employees", "Projected growth (2025-2035) Decline (-1% or lower)", "Projected job openings (2025-2035) 39,700" (O*NET, computer user support specialists) — the openings are replacements, not growth, and the networking rung is only "Slower than average (1% to 2%)" on 152,500 jobs (O*NET, network support specialists). The honest reading of "Is AI replacing IT techs?" is in those two lines: the ticket-answering layer is thinning, and the technicians who last are the ones who move toward networks, security, the cloud and their own clients. The job itself is a desk and a phone — in O*NET's survey 100 percent use email every day, 95 percent work indoors in a controlled environment every day and 88 percent have face-to-face discussions every day (O*NET, work context) — and the degree question is settled by the same survey, which lists a bachelor's, a post-secondary certificate and an associate's degree each as "required for some jobs", none as required for most.

The upside. A technician who owns the client relationship sells a monthly plan, not an hourly rate — the managed-service model the owners below describe, where ten or twenty small businesses pay by the month for someone who answers the phone before the server dies. The entry cost is the lowest of any trade: no license fee, no truck, a toolkit, a laptop and a home lab. California's repair-dealer registration is $190 a location with "No" exam or education requirement, in the bureau's words (Bureau of Household Goods and Services), and Illinois, Colorado and Texas list nothing at all — the lists are linked below.

No US state licenses an IT technician. There is no board, no exam and no card for fixing computers, running a help desk or administering a network — and the proof is the regulators' own lists. Illinois's Department of Financial and Professional Regulation publishes every profession it licenses, from Private Alarm Contractor and Detective through Locksmith and Roofing Contractor; the only "computer" on the page is the hint to use "your computer's Search Tool" (IDFPR, professions list). Colorado's Division of Professions and Occupations lists its regulated occupations with no computer, IT or electronics entry (Colorado DPO), and Texas's Department of Licensing and Regulation lists its programs with none either (TDLR). What the law does reach is the edges of the work — repairing a consumer's device for money in California, running cable or cameras, installing systems that lock doors or record people, and the data you touch — and those rules are specific, by state. Here is what each one says.

• California — the repair shop registers, and cabling above $1,000 is a contractor's license. The Electronic and Appliance Repair Dealer Registration Law defines a "service dealer" as "a person who, for compensation, engages in, or holds themselves out to the public as offering services in the business of: Repairing, servicing, or maintaining an electronic set normally used or sold for personal, family, household, or home office use", and an "electronic set" expressly includes a "computer system, cellular device, such as a telephone or tablet, photocopier, facsimile machine" (Cal. B&P Code §9801). "Each service dealer shall pay the fee required by this chapter for each place of business and each drop-off location … and shall register with the bureau", and a dealer with no California premises "who engages in the electronic repair industry … in this state, shall hold a valid registration" too (§9830). The statute caps the fee at "not more than two hundred five dollars ($205) for each place of business" (§9873); the Bureau of Household Goods and Services charges "Electronic Service Dealers (E) $190" per location and answers "Are there exam or education requirements for a license? No." (BHGS, Electronic & Appliance Repair). The second rule is the contractor's: the CSLB's classifications list the "C-7 - Low Voltage Systems Contractor" (CSLB classifications), defined as a contractor who "installs, services and maintains all types of communication and low voltage systems which are energy limited and do not exceed 91 volts. These systems include, but are not limited to telephone systems, sound systems, cable television systems, closed-circuit video systems, satellite dish antennas, instrumentation and temperature controls, and low voltage landscape lighting" (16 CCR §832.07) — so structured network cabling, phone systems and CCTV for a business are C-7 work once a job's "aggregate contract price for labor, materials, and all other items" reaches $1,000 or "the work or operation … require[s] a building permit" (Cal. B&P Code §7048). Below that, and for anything you do at a desk, nothing.
• Texas — cameras that record and doors that unlock are private-security work. The Private Security Act defines an "alarm system" to include "electronic equipment and devices using a computer or data processor designed to control the access of a person, vehicle, or object through a door, gate, or entrance" and "a television camera or still camera system that: (i) records or archives images of property or individuals in a public or private area of a residence or business" (Tex. Occ. Code §1702.002); "Unless the person holds a license as a security services contractor, a person may not: (1) act as an alarm systems company" (§1702.102), "a person acts as an electronic access control device company for the purposes of this chapter if the person installs or maintains an electronic access control device" (§1702.1055), and the individual doing the work needs a card of their own: "An individual acts as an alarm systems installer … if the individual installs, maintains, or repairs an alarm system or detection device" (§1702.223; §1702.221). The same chapter draws the line that protects the ordinary technician: "The repair or maintenance of a computer does not constitute an investigation for purposes of this section and does not require licensing under this chapter if: (1) the review or analysis of computer-based data is performed only to diagnose a computer or software problem; (2) there is no intent to obtain or furnish information" about a person (§1702.104) — recover a client's files and you are a technician; search them for what someone did and you are an investigator. The Department of Public Safety's fees for the company license and the installer card are not printed here: its site refuses a scripted reader.
• Florida — alarm work is a contractor's license, and "alarm" is wide. "Alarm system" means any electrical device, signaling device, or combination of electrical devices used to signal or detect a burglary, fire, robbery, or medical emergency", and an "alarm system contractor" is licensed by the state's Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (Fla. Stat. §489.505); data cabling and computer repair are not in the chapter, and no Florida license names the technician.
• New York — no state rule; New York City registers the shop. The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection says "You must have an Electronics license if you operate an electronics store and/or engage in business as a service dealer", with carve-outs for stores that "do not provide repair services" (NYC DCWP, Electronics license; the old store license folded into it — "As of September 8, 2026, the Electronics Store License is now part of the new license category Electronics", NYC DCWP) — a repair counter in the five boroughs is licensed by the city; the same counter in Buffalo or Albany is not. The fee is behind a script and is not printed here.
• Everywhere, the data rules follow you without a license. California's breach law binds "an individual or business that conducts business in California, and that owns or licenses computerized data that includes personal information" to disclose a breach, "within 30 calendar days of discovery or notification" (Cal. Civ. Code §1798.82); federal health privacy rules make a technician who "creates, receives, maintains, or transmits protected health information" for a medical or dental office a "business associate" (45 CFR §160.103) — the office will hand you a business associate agreement to sign before you touch its server. Neither is a license; both are the law you work under from the first client.

What the trade asks for instead of a license. A credential and a first job. The entry credential employers screen on is CompTIA's A+ — two exams, "Exam series code: 220-1201 (Core 1)" and "220-1202 (Core 2)", "the first of two exams required to earn the industry-standard A+ certification" in the certifier's words (CompTIA, A+ Core 1; Core 2); after it, Network+ ("Exam series code: N10-009", CompTIA) and Security+ (CompTIA). The voucher prices are sold through CompTIA's store and are not printed on a page a reader can open, so none is printed here; the same goes for Cisco's CCNA and Microsoft's fundamentals exams, whose page says only "Price based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored" (Microsoft Learn, AZ-900). The free-to-cheap route is Google's IT Support Professional Certificate on Coursera — "designed to take beginner learners to job readiness in about three-to-six months", by subscription (Coursera) — and the college route is a two-year program such as Texas State Technical College's Computer Networking & Systems Administration, priced on its published tuition table (TSTC, 2026–27 tuition table). O*NET files the occupation under "Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed" and lists nine registered-apprenticeship titles for it (O*NET, summary). Then the help desk: a managed service provider, a school district, a repair counter, a university help desk — the first job is other people's problems for a year, and every technician quoted below started there or at a counter.

The taxes on the work, by state. Texas taxes "data processing services" — "Using a computer for word processing, data entry, production, compilation, storage or manipulation is a taxable data processing service. Twenty percent of the charge for data processing services is exempt from tax" (Texas Comptroller, 96-259; the exemption is Tax Code §151.351) — but "merely using the computer as a tool to help perform a professional service is not taxable" (Comptroller, 94-127), and "computer repair and support services that include reviewing computer data" for what someone did are taxable as security services (96-259). New York taxes "computers", "prewritten … computer software" and "maintaining, installing, servicing, and repairing of tangible personal property" (NY Tax Bulletin ST-740), while "separately stated and reasonable charges for maintaining, servicing, or repairing software are exempt from sales tax" (NY, computer software bulletin). Florida makes "repairing or altering tangible personal property" a registering activity (Florida Department of Revenue). California taxes the parts, not the labor: under Regulation 1546, "If the retail value of the parts and materials furnished in connection with repair work is more than 10 percent of the total charge, or if the repairman makes a separate charge for such property, the repairman is the retailer and tax applies to the fair retail selling price of the property", and the repairer "must segregate on the invoices to his customers … the fair retail selling price of the parts and materials from the charges for labor of repair, installation, or other services performed" (CDTFA, Regulation 1546) — the SSD is taxed, the hour is not. Ask your accountant which side of each line your invoices fall on.

The money to start. Our arithmetic from the product pages that print each price, read October 26, 2026. A lean start — one technician's own kit — is a Stanley six-piece precision screwdriver set at $7.59 (Zoro), an anti-static wrist strap at $18.59 (Zoro), a five-pack of 64 GB flash drives at $70.99 for the boot and rescue sticks (Zoro), a Klein LAN Scout Jr. 2 cable tester at $59.97 (Zoro) and a Brother label-tape cartridge at $22.79 (Zoro) — $179.93, with a pro-grade driver kit from iFixit or Wiha on top at the maker's price, which neither would print for a scripted reader, and the laptop you already own. The fuller start, a one-person repair and network shop registered in California — the same drivers, strap, sticks and tape, Klein's Scout Pro 3 tester kit at $99.98 (Zoro) in place of the Jr., a Klein ratcheting crimper and stripper at $59.95 (Zoro), a Fluke Networks 110/66 punch-down kit at $251.99 (Zoro), a Codi USB-C docking station at $98.99 (Zoro), a Samsung T7 1 TB portable SSD at $320.99 for images and backups (Zoro), the $190 electronic service dealer registration and a year of tech errors-and-omissions cover at $1,073 — is $2,214.86. The insurance is a median, not your quote: "Computer repair businesses pay an average of $89 per month, or $1,073 annually, for tech E&O insurance. This policy bundles errors and omissions insurance with cyber insurance", "$37 per month, or $440 annually, for general liability insurance", "$55 per month, or $657 annually, for workers' compensation insurance" (Insureon, computer repair, updated June 8, 2026); for a consultant with no counter, "IT consultants pay an average of $75 per month, or $899 annually, for tech E&O insurance" and "$31 per month, or $369 annually, for a general liability insurance policy" (Insureon, IT consultants, updated June 12, 2026). Workers' compensation is required from the first employee in California (California DIR) and optional for private employers in Texas (Texas Department of Insurance). The business side is a sole proprietorship by default — Schedule C (IRS), self-employment tax once net earnings reach $400 (IRS), quarterly estimates once you expect to owe $1,000 (IRS) — and an LLC if you want one: $300 in Texas (Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code §4.154), $125 in Florida (Fla. Stat. §605.0213), $200 in New York plus the newspaper notices (N.Y. LLC Law §1101; §206), $70 in California plus the $800 annual tax (Cal. Gov. Code §12190; Franchise Tax Board). The plan page for the business side is the IT services business plan, the step after this guide is how to start an IT business, the name comes from IT business names, and the site from the IT services website builder.

In the UK: no license either. The National Careers Service's IT support technician profile prints "£24,000 Starter" to "£36,000 Experienced" and lists the routes in — university, college, an apprenticeship ("Information Communications Technician" at Level 3), or starting in a junior role (National Careers Service). In Australia the inversion is the cabling: "Before you can install, connect, maintain or repair cabling in a home or business, you must register as a cabler" (ACMA, how to become a cabler) — "To work as a cabler in Australia, you must be registered", through "any of the 4 Australian registrars", and "Unregistered cablers must be supervised" (ACMA, work as a registered cabler). The registration that covers "structured (for example, data cable Cat 5/6 …)" cabling is the Open one with that competency added (ACMA, the three types of cabling registration), and the ACMA "does not manage registrations or renewals" — four registrars do, ACRS, ASIAL, FPA Australia and TITAB, and "Each registrar charges different fees" (ACMA, contact a cabling registrar); the desk-side work has no license at all.

Check your own state's licensing board for the edges — repair-dealer registration, low-voltage and alarm work — and your city's business license desk before you take the first paid call. The states named above are the ones whose own pages opened for us; a state we have not named is not a state with no rules.

None of this is our opinion about the trade. It comes from people who do it — a Houston technician who took his A+ and CCNA in high school and now runs a low-voltage and network firm, a Houston repair-and-IT owner who came out of twenty years in the Navy, a Dallas dental-office IT owner with 300 practices on contract, a Dallas component-level repair shop, a Denver small-business support owner, a Queen Creek storefront owner who managed a big-box repair counter, a Los Angeles technician who learned by fixing his own recording rig, an Atlanta managed-service owner since 2000, a Kennesaw couple who opened a shop on phone repairs, a Kansas City owner in the trade since 1993, an ITT Tech graduate who contracted for NASA on a GED, an Ohio refurbisher who started in a repair shop at 16, and four more — talking to the Voyage magazines and CanvasRebel between 2017 and 2026, each described as the page describes them. Read each as theirs at the time. Five things come up again and again.

You start by fixing someone else's problem for a wage — a counter, a lab, a help desk. Dakota Murphy, Cactus Computers, Queen Creek, Arizona: “I’ve been in the computer retail and repair industry for nine years now. Prior to Cactus Computers, I worked for a big box retail location where I rose the ranks from a computer sales associate to a repair department key-holding manager.” (VoyagePhoenix, May 18, 2022). Andrew Babb, Trifecta Computer Consulting, Denton, Texas: “My first job in college was as a Computer Lab monitor helping other students troubleshoot their computer issues while they were researching and writing papers. I was fortunate to be able to get my first full time IT job a month before I graduated from college.” (VoyageDallas, June 28, 2017). Chris Noles, Beyond Computer Solutions, Vinings, Georgia: “I worked for an internet service provider and an IT support company prior to starting my first business in 2000. For nearly 2 decades, I have been blessed to provide Managed IT services, Business Technology Consulting and Cybersecurity solutions to all different kinds of businesses.” (VoyageATL, January 31, 2018). Andrew Edreff, Edreff Holdings, Lorain, Ohio: “My name is Andrew Edreff, and my story starts at 16 years old working at a small computer repair shop called Computer Exchange in Lorain, Ohio. I was always fascinated with IT equipment, and that curiosity led to a job offer at a local wholesale company called Monitor Man in Elyria.” (CanvasRebel, April 29, 2026). Owen Brown, Stapleton Mac Repair, Denver: “I started tinkering and fixing Apple computers when I was about ten years old. In the back of the computer shop my mom worked at, the technicians enjoyed having me around and showing me how the computers worked and could be repaired. The love of all things computer-related evolved from there. I worked for a few different Apple repair shops over the years.” (VoyageDenver, September 3, 2019).

“What I think Information Technology gets wrong is that it takes a 4 yr degree and certifications to have a successful career. I’ve worked at NASA (contractor) as well as USPS (contractor/software dev.) having only a G.E.D. and a A.A.S. from a defunct institution ( ITT-Tech). All of my counter parts touted 4+ yr degrees and at least 2 IT certifications.” — Sheldon Davis, in CanvasRebel, September 24, 2025

The certification is a door, not the trade; the troubleshooting is the trade. John Marz, Marz Tech Solutions, Houston: “In high school, I started taking it more seriously by enrolling in CompTIA A+ courses and later completing a CCNA program during my senior year. After graduating, I went into the field as a technician and eventually worked as a field network engineer, gaining hands-on experience with real-world systems and deployments.” (VoyageHouston, March 31, 2026). Daniel Zivetz, West LA Computer Expert, Los Angeles: “I decided to enroll at a local community college to study computers and programming. I enjoyed learning and started gaining confidence in my skills. I then moved on to an accredited computer school where I studied “everything Windows” in intense daily sessions for a number of years. I was able to pass the tests to earn an A+ CompTia certificate and the MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) certificate.” (VoyageLA, June 5, 2017). Steven Valencia, Valencia IT, Los Angeles: “Working with audio software and recording my friends’ music is where I really learned how to troubleshoot. There were always little issues. Inputs not recording, drivers acting up, software crashing at the worst time. When something didn’t work, there wasn’t anyone else to call. I had to figure it out.” (VoyageLA, February 16, 2026). Davis again: “My first two IT classes were computer hardware and software, I fell in love with the Linux command prompt! After those courses I was able to land a work study for campus IT. I would prep all the computer labs for instruction ( replacing parts , installing systems, troubleshooting intranet/internet issues)” (CanvasRebel, September 24, 2025). Kevin Erkelenz, ETS Computer Repair, Redondo Beach: “No matter how experienced you are, you’re always going to run into a computer problem that makes you scratch your head. I am intimately familiar with the frustration that can cause, and I know how important it is for someone’s computer to remain reliable and operational.” (VoyageLA, February 26, 2017).

Going out alone starts as a side job, and the first year is trust, not technique. Marz: “While working full time, I also started doing computer repair and small IT jobs on the side. What began as a side hustle gradually grew as I took on more work and built relationships. Over time, I realized there was real demand for reliable, hands-on technical work, especially from someone who could operate independently in the field.” (VoyageHouston, March 31, 2026). Joseph Young, JC’s Computer Services, Houston: “I showed up on time, I explained things clearly, I treated every computer like it mattered, because it did, Slowly, word spread,A neighbor told a friend, A small business owner recommended me to another, A few law firms took a chance on me and then kept calling.” (VoyageHouston, February 25, 2026). Brandan Fagan, Golden Touch Electronic Repairs, Dallas: “In the beginning, one of the biggest struggles was earning trust. Many customers had experienced overpriced repairs or quick fixes that didn’t last, so we had to prove ourselves by consistently delivering honest diagnostics, fair pricing, and quality work. Building that reputation took time and patience, one repair and one relationship at a time.” (VoyageDallas, February 26, 2026). Damien Daigle and Chrissie Thompson, Computers R Us, Kennesaw, Georgia: “When we opened our shop, we did not take out a loan (we still have not to this day) so we literally were repairing phones to pay the rent and build-out in our shop” and “For the first year, we worked 24/7, because the majority of our business has come from Facebook, so messages would come at all hours of the night. We hustled hard, so we always responded in a timely manner and worked for dirt cheap prices.” (VoyageATL, February 14, 2018). Murphy on the permits a shop needs even where no trade license exists: “What I was not prepared for though, was the approximate 2-3 month wait time I experienced going through the process of receiving my certificate of occupancy, fire safety inspections, and final approvals to open up.” (VoyagePhoenix, May 18, 2022). Christopher Chaney, TidyView IT, Denver: “One piece of advice I’d give to anyone just starting out is don’t wait until everything feels perfect before you begin. When I first started, I thought I needed the perfect setup, the perfect tools, and everything fully figured out before putting myself out there.” (VoyageDenver, March 17, 2026).

The money is in the monthly plan, and the plan is built on a vertical. JR Kitchens, DDSComputers, Dallas–Fort Worth: “I started in medical IT sales in 1995, working for a large dental dealer. I worked for them until 2010 in sales and as a branch manager. I moved back to DFW in 2010, started DDSComputers in 2012 providing network management, cybersecurity, cabling and hardware to dental and small medical offices throughout North Texas. Currently we serve over 300 offices and have 7 employees.” (VoyageDallas, February 26, 2026). Noles on the shift he had to make: “We had to change our business model from hourly IT repair to becoming a managed IT services company in order to help our clients be compliant with regulations and to be proactive. With “the cloud”, there are fewer business buying servers for us to sell or repair, so we have had to learn how to offer value-added training and consulting services in order to make up for that.” (VoyageATL, January 31, 2018). Ryan Vines, Vineyard IT and Audio Services, Colorado, on how the plan is priced: “Managed IT support: Typically offered as a monthly service, priced based on number of users/devices, security requirements, and how hands-on the environment is.” (VoyageDenver, February 4, 2026). Young: “My business has grown through word‑of‑mouth, repeat clients, and long-term relationships with local law firms and medical practices who rely on me for secure, compliant, dependable IT support.” (VoyageHouston, February 25, 2026). Chaney: “What we’re most known for is our personal, hands-on approach to IT support. Instead of treating clients like ticket numbers in a helpdesk system, we build real relationships with the businesses we support.” (VoyageDenver, March 17, 2026).

On AI, the people in the trade are calmer than the headlines. Burton Kelso, Integral, Kansas City, in the trade since 1993: “Now, we are entering the era of AI. Many find it terrifying, but my role remains the same as it was in ’93: being the bridge. I help people understand that these aren’t just “scary robots,” but tools that—if handled correctly—can make their lives easier.” And: “Helping a grandmother understand her first iPad in 2010 required the same patience and empathy as helping a small business owner implement AI workflows in 2026.” (CanvasRebel, March 30, 2026). Vines: “Over the next 5–10 years, I think the big shift is higher expectations with less patience for tech problems. On the IT and web side, cybersecurity will become a baseline for everyone, even small businesses, and managed services will keep growing because people want a trusted partner to handle it end to end. AI will also automate more monitoring, troubleshooting, and content workflows, but human oversight will still matter.” (VoyageDenver, February 4, 2026). Edreff, on what the trade asked of him: “No college degree. Just nose-down, hard work, and surrounding myself with the right people.” (CanvasRebel, April 29, 2026).

The through-line: the technicians who lasted started at a counter or a lab, treated the certification as the door and the troubleshooting as the job, went out alone as a side business before a full one, picked a vertical, and moved the invoice from the hour to the month before the hour disappeared.