Software trainers help to train and motivate groups or individuals to adopt a new computer program or application. Effective software trainers have expert-level knowledge of applications and excellent presentation skills.
Here is some advice on the responsibilities, qualifications, career path, salary, and job outlook for software trainers. Let’s read to find out!
Job Description
Who Are Software Trainers?
Software trainers are experts who help others learn to use computer software.
There is no denying that software is an essential part of how businesses in many industries streamline their workflow.
However, not everyone is technologically savvy enough to know how to utilize the newest tool that drops into their lap.
These trainers also work with students or company employees at career training centers and teach them computer literacy skills.
Before teaching others, these professionals must have excellent technical knowledge of various software and coding languages.
They also need to be great teachers or instructors that can meet learners at their level of expertise, no matter how basic.
Responsibilities and Roles
As a software trainer, you have various responsibilities which can include:
- Conduct workshops and seminars to educate employees on the software, which includes how to use the program’s functions and features.
- Provide onsite customer support for those who have bought the company’s software, such as answering queries about how to use it or handling problems with it.
- Create documentation for training materials and deliver feedback to authors who are making documentation for company products
- Create computer training materials, such as text, slides, and other visuals, to teach other people how to use a piece of software.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge about industry trends and new products related to computer software to deliver practical training.
- Provide technical support for customers who have purchased the company’s software products, like answering queries about product usage or assisting them with installation issues.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of training programs according to participant feedback, including evaluations and surveys.
- Work with software developers to make sure that new products fulfill client needs.
- Design and conduct onsite training sessions for customers who have purchased the company’s software products.
Where Do Software Trainers Work?
Software trainers commonly work for software companies or work in corporate training departments. In addition, they may work as independent consultants.
Software trainers work full-time in most cases, and some work more than forty hours per week. They sometimes work evenings or weekends to accommodate their clients’ schedules and deadlines.
They also travel to their customers’ locations to deliver the training service. Some trainers work remotely or from home, using the Internet to offer training to their customers.
Education Requirements
Software trainers typically need to have the following qualifications:
Education
Software trainers typically have at least a bachelor’s degree in information technology, software engineering, computer science, or another related field. Several employers prefer to hire candidates who have a master’s degree.
Many employers prefer software trainers who have completed a formal education program in software development or software testing.
Training and Experience
Software trainers usually gain on-the-job training from their employers. The training may include learning the firm’s software, policies, and procedures.
Also, it may consist of shadowing other software trainers or learning from senior software testers.
As a software trainer, you can also receive off-the-job training through seminars and conferences. Those conferences can help a software trainer learn new strategies and technologies for training software users.
Certifications
Most employers may not require software testers to be certified. But certifications can be a nice-to-have part of a software tester resume.
Essential Skills
As a software trainer, you will need the following skills to be successful:
- Adaptability
As software and technology change, so do the knowledge and skills needed to be software trainers. Being adaptable means you can modify the industry and learn new skills. It also means you can change the training strategies and methods as software and technology change.
- Teaching
It is the process by which instructors inform and instruct their students. It is an essential skill for software trainers to explain any complex topic in a way that is easy to understand. You should also be able to answer queries and questions and deliver feedback to help your learners enhance their skills.
- Public speaking
This skill allows software trainers to convey information to their learners. They may need to teach their learners about software, explain how to use it, or guide them on troubleshooting problems. It can help you communicate with learners and answer their queries.
- Active listening
This skill is listening to learners with full attention. It may include asking questions, maintaining eye contact, and responding to others’ thoughts.
Software trainers are usually responsible for training large groups of people. Hence, active listening can help them connect with their audience and ensure everyone understands their training material.
- Communication
It refers to the act of exchanging information. Software trainers may need to communicate with colleagues, customers, and other professionals.
Communication helps them answer questions and convey information clearly. They can also use communication to build relationships with other people.
Essential Tools
Here are the popular training softwares for your various training needs:
- Articulate 360.
- iSpring.
- Powtoon.
- MS Office (Honestly, mostly PPT).
- Camtasia.
- Adobe Captivate.
- Vengage.
- Elucidat.
- Adobe Express.
- TalentLMS.
- SAP Litmos.
- Canva.
- Kahoot!
- G Suite.
- Prezi.
- VideoScribe.
- SkyPrep.
- Lessonly.
Job Outlook
The BLS includes software trainers as part of the training & development industry. They expect training jobs, including technical training, to increase by 9% from 2019 to 2029. Therefore, software trainers will have a bright future.
Salary
The average annual salary for a software trainer in the US is $61,521 per year. It equates to $29.58 per hour, $1,183 per week, or $5,126 per month.
Most software trainer salaries currently range between $46,500 to $68,500, with top earners making $87,000 annually across the United States.
The average salary suggests that there are many opportunities for increased pay and advancement based on location, skill level, years of experience, and more.
Advantages and Disadvantages
- High pay.
- Flexible work environment.
- High employment outlook.
- Opportunity for creative work.
- Opportunity to utilize your skills as a freelancer.
- Working overtime and consistently non-traditional business hours.
- Keep refreshing current skills and up-skill to new technologies.
FAQs
How Can I Increase My Salary as a Software Trainer?
Software trainers can increase their pay in different ways, including:
- Change of employer: You can consider moving to a new employer that will pay higher for your skill set.
- Raising Education Level: You can gain advanced degrees, allowing you to increase your income potential and qualify for promotions.
- Managing Experience: As a software trainer that oversees junior software trainers, that experience can increase the likelihood of earning more.
How to become A Software trainer?
If you are keen on becoming an IT trainer, consider the following steps:
Step 1. Gain a bachelor’s degree
You need to start by getting a bachelor’s degree. Software trainers can have a job in various industries, including healthcare, finance, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, etc. They have multiple choices when picking an undergraduate degree.
During education, IT trainers can hone their technical and interpersonal skills. We recommend picking a major that concerns your goals and interests while preparing you for a training role.
Here are some common undergraduate majors:
- Business.
- Finance.
- Computer science.
- Human resources.
- Information sciences.
- Software engineering.
- Information technology.
Step 2: Pick an entry-level path.
Now is the time to choose a career path. As an IT trainer, you can begin your career in one of the following ways:
- Corporate training: You can begin your career in general corporate training as an assistant trainer or work on one curriculum team. Over time, you may focus on IT training within your corporate training career.
- Information technology: You can choose to develop technical skills and get experience while working in the IT field. You may work as a network analyst, computer programmer, or software engineer.
Step 3. Get relevant experience.
As an IT trainer, you can get professional experience through an entry-level job, an internship, or a volunteer program.
While working, you can develop some essential technical IT skills such as computer literacy and programming. You can also develop your communication skills by collaborating with team members or leading presentations.
Step 4. Develop technical skills.
You can provide specialized or general IT training during your career as an IT trainer. For instance, general IT trainers might work to train employees and sales businesses how to use payroll software. They might also consider training managers on tax software or leading computer safety courses.
On the other hand, specialized IT trainers may be responsible for training other IT professionals on technical skills. For instance, they can introduce new experts to an organization’s software coding or network systems.
If you are interested in becoming an IT trainer in the technology industry, you should develop additional technical skills via further education or training.
Some IT trainers gain a master’s in information technology or computer science to help them advance their careers.
Step 5. Consider certifications
Some trainers pursue additional education. It can help them improve their skills, qualify for more positions and possibly get a higher salary. Depending on their field and industry, they can consider getting a certification in these areas:
- IT user skills
- Corporate training
- Learning and development
They may also gain a certificate for a specific computer program or software. In certain fields, IT trainers may have multiple certifications.
Career Advice
The BLS expects the job outlook for software trainers to grow at a faster-than-average rate over the next decade. This is due to the increasing use of software in industries, and employees must be adequately trained to use it.
To become a software trainer, you need to start with a bachelor’s degree in a related field. Then, you should consider getting a certificate to hone your skills and add the necessary knowledge.
Hopefully, this article was useful to you. Thanks for your time!