How to become a tech.

I have been a tech at a computer store for 3 years. I have become very successful in developing my diagnosic skills and gaining abilities to fix computers. Now that I am 18 I probably will not be with my employer for too much longer, say 4 years because I will be going to college then better things. So he asked me to find a new tech at my highschool. He would be workin underneath me.

So i found a kid who knows a little bit about comptuers and he becomes very good at anything he does for awhile. He can easily retain information and he unsertands how computer work to some extent.

My question is how do I train him? What do I have him read?!?!

Im kinda stuck,

Thanks.

I suggest the following based on what you've told us:

1. Keep your job working as a tech if your boss will let you go part-time and flex your schedule to permit full-time school hours. It's a bit tougher way to get an education, but the income is always more than welcome.

2. The school of hard knocks is a wonderful way to learn how to be a techie to those of us who can afford time and resources to do so. If your boss permits, work with your trainee, first showing, then watching him as you coach. After a time, he'll get good enough with most things that you won't need to check up on him.

3. You might consider having your trainee read manuals that are product specific to what your shop services. You'll also want to have him 'brush up' on the various operating systems you encounter, most especially the various breeds of Windows and their specific ideosyncracies.

4. You'll also want to have your trainee read things on basic hardware, networking, and if the business you're involved in offers 'software packages' to new builds, have him study up on each specific software as well.

In a nutshell - if your store sells it, works on it, or uses it, you'll need your trainee to learn it.

Luck to you!

1. GOOD IDEA! because that was what I was planning to do, hehe. I make way more than anyone else going to my school, guarenteed. Plus I love my job.

2. I think basically thats what I have been trying to do.

3. We are VERY VERY VERY small my boss employes 4 other people so we dont not have manuals. Or maybe you meant somethin else?

4. I try to give him some reading but I need ideas of things to give him. We mostly are a comptuer repair shop.

Thanks for your input black ice.

Time to ask a few questions and offer an if/then or two...

Your shop is very small. Is it strictly a repair shop, or does it sell new computers?

If your shop sells new computers, then there will be various tech manuals lying around for the hardware you use in building machines. Even if you haven't read them yourself (a mistake imho), if you want your trainee to do a job that's 'above the norm' have him read through them, after he's familiar with the basics.

For suggested readings I offer these tidbits:

The Windows bible - pick the version most current and work backwards.

For hardware - check your local community college and find out what text they use in hardware I. You might also mention to your boss that the course is offered there, and ask him if he'll pay for you taking it and other hardware related courses ;-)

For software - this varies depending on if you build new systems or not, and if you put software packages on machines or not, and what troubleshooting softwares you use. I'll address each separately telling you where to get reading material if applicable -

software packages are easy enough - you'll have 'how to' manuals from whatever company you license the software from. They're probably in the bottom of your boss' filing cabinet.

troubleshooting - same as above if tech manuals exist for them - for freeware stuff it's just 'catch as catch can' - meaning you'll need to teach him how to use them from rote memory and helpfiles. You might also check the websites for each vendor for additional docs...

We do sell used off-lease used comptuer like compaw evos, anything that good quality. Some parts and we custome build ONLY GOOD COMPUTERS.

But anyways, I think my biggest problem is how does one teach another how to diagnose a dead system? How does one teach another how to automatically know to use a search engine to resolve a specific issue, and how does one teach another how to put in words a problem and USE GOOGLE.

Thanks again blackice

Heh. this is turning into a 'me and you' thread - so let's continue shall we?

Teaching someone to diagnose/troubleshoot is pretty much straightforward - Here's how a tech troubleshoots, and if you think on it you'll realize it's what you do by second nature:

Look at what's going wrong, think of everything that could cause what's going wrong, then start eliminating things until you find it, beginning with the easiest and most obvious.

On automatically using Google:

After seeing you do it for the jobs he observes you working on, he'll start using that resource as well for the jobs he's working on. If it comes down to it, teach him about www.just****inggoogleit.com :rolleyes:

If he still persists in not using that resource, get a bit more firm about reenforcing it - ie: trainee comes to you asking for your help fixing whatever. The first words out of your mouth in response should be "did you google it?"

Blackice gave some real good tips/info here but let me reinforce a few...

* Troubleshooting Objective: narrow down possibilities down to as few as possible

* Think logically! This is hard to teach...but a good admin and troubleshooter thinks logically, methodically...not randomly. IMO

* Search around for basic troubleshooting flowcharts for various things (computer or non)...that might help get the frame of mind needed.

Just couple random...I mean logcial thoughts here.

One thing you'll need to start training some one is patience. It's easier to take something away from them and fix it yourself but you have to bite your tongue and watch if you want them to become competent.

A good memory also helps in remembering that we all asked a few stupid/obvious questions when we first started out.

You probably have some old machines and parts in your shop. Let him play around with that stuff and see what he can build. You need to have a good familiarity with the parts if you're going to troubleshoot them.