Here's my brief take on what could really fill volumes:
1. On a typical day in this position, what do you do?
A. I help people get their work done. I don't mean this answer to be snarky; if you're going into user support, this is your reason for having a job. They could be having software, hardware, network, or other technical problems, and I do what I can to answer questions, teach operation, or gather the information needed by higher-level technicians.
2. What training or education is required for this type of work?
A. Tough to answer; mine is mostly OJT+hobby. Some pursue certifications, but imho there is no substitute for real-world experience. Still, attitude is more important than training. Know how to learn, and quickly. "I don't know, but I'll find out[, quickly]," can be an acceptable answer if your follow-up is indeed speedy and relevant. Nobody knows it all, but you can find out anything.
3. Where have you received your training to work in this field?
A. Mostly OJT and personal interest, although I've also had customer-provided training in specific applications.
4. What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in this job?
A. Patience above all. People will be contacting you because they're having problems; their moods may be sour at best. Pressure can be high, e.g. when it's a VIP wanting his PC fixed yesterday. You've also got to be able to learn fairly quickly, and apply what you've learned. A good memory for past solutions may make you seem like a genius when it comes to fixing obscure issues. Keep ego in check; you're a support guy; you don't make anything, and the end-customer of your business will never know who you are. The guys who are making, and building, will know who you are, and that's enough.
Perspective is important, and the ability to translate that of your clients into a real understanding of the problems they're having. Reliability is also important, and will build your reputation.
On the other hand, betrayal of trust will kill your career before it starts.
5. What part of the job do you find the most challenging and/or satisfying?
A1. The most challenging is that in many environments, there is a degree of compartmentalization or similar security concerns that may leave you without vital information (or permissions, or access, etc) to do your best at your job. It will seem that policies are being put in place that seem to have no more visible effect than to make people's lives more difficult. See #4, you will become a target of people's ire. Sympathize, but try not to blame. Getting usable information from some people can be like pulling teeth. Expect to take your time. "Measure twice, cut once" is not just for carpenters.
A2. The most satisfying is knowing that people were having problems, contacted you, and by the time you were done, their problems had gone away (or clearly would be handled).
6. What entry level positions are available for this occupation?
A. Some call center work might qualify, although they're sometimes little more than script-reading ticket monkeys. PC technician work may be rote, but will teach the hardware.
7. What are the salary ranges for various levels in this field?
A. I'm not sure I can accurately answer this one. The before-mentioned script monkeys may barely make $10-$12/hour. A good network engineer will make six figures.
8. Is there a demand for people in this field?
A. IMHO, if there isn't, there should be. The IT department often suffers when budgets are tight, but a good IT department keeps the whole company running smoothly.
9. What special advice would you give me for entering this field?
A. This field can be so many things, and you can really shape what it is to you. Some people specialize, e.g. in Network Infrastructure (e.g. Cisco), get certified, and can make a lot of money. If "stuff" changes though, they can be left dangling or need to switch gears. Others, like me, enjoy being able to help people almost no matter what their problem is. The money is lower (but certainly not bad), but satisfaction is higher, and I am confident I could be useful in many more environments.
10. How did you find your job?
A. I originally moved into the work I'm doing now when an original contract for which I was hired ended. I think I found that one either on Monster.com or on Dice.com (job sites). The contract has shuffled to two different companies over the last seven or eight years, but I have remained. I support the same people, and do the same work, but the name on my paycheck has changed. To this day, I remain convinced that one of the things that got me the original job was that I could point to some old Usenet postings from 1990-1991 in which I was answering people's computer problems, just as I do on the job. Yes, thankfully I'm one of those who generally enjoys his work. It also demonstrated consistency, another good quality to have.
I hope this has given you at least a few useful bits of information. I'm sure you get a lot of good ideas from others in the field as well.
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