Data recovery technicians must be computer experts who know how to program and repair computers. They must be good at solving technical problems and should be able to concentrate for long periods. Because data recovery is a challenging field, technicians often use trial and error to figure out what is causing the problem.

I earned a two-year college degree in computer programming at a technical college. Then I worked as a programmer for two years before being hired by a small data recovery company. My employer gave me on-the-job training to learn about data recovery systems. Other people in my field work as network technicians in big companies.