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Advanced technical support vs desktop support specialist

The differences between advanced technical supports and desktop support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an advanced technical support and a desktop support specialist. Additionally, an advanced technical support has an average salary of $92,296, which is higher than the $44,962 average annual salary of a desktop support specialist.

The top three skills for an advanced technical support include customer service, technical troubleshooting and inbound calls. The most important skills for a desktop support specialist are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.

Advanced technical support vs desktop support specialist overview

Advanced Technical SupportDesktop Support Specialist
Yearly salary$92,296$44,962
Hourly rate$44.37$21.62
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs130,649102,191
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 31%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age4242
Years of experience22

Advanced technical support vs desktop support specialist salary

Advanced technical supports and desktop support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Advanced Technical SupportDesktop Support Specialist
Average salary$92,296$44,962
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $134,000Between $33,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City-Boston, MA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-Cornerstone Research
Best paying industry-Finance

Differences between advanced technical support and desktop support specialist education

There are a few differences between an advanced technical support and a desktop support specialist in terms of educational background:

Advanced Technical SupportDesktop Support Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 31%Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common majorBusinessComputer Science
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Advanced technical support vs desktop support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between advanced technical supports' and desktop support specialists' demographics:

Advanced Technical SupportDesktop Support Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 58.6% Female, 41.4%Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between advanced technical support and desktop support specialist duties and responsibilities

Advanced technical support example responsibilities.

  • Manage all operating end-user software including JavaScript - updating/installing Java.
  • Use of software to include the XP / windows.
  • Support, install and upgrade SCCM workstation client software.
  • Travele to remote locations to replace and repair servers, workstations and other equipment.
  • Exercise previous as well as newly acquire knowledge towards IPv4/IPv6 and VOIP to exceed expectations.
  • Set up and maintain LAN and computer maintenance to include software and hardware installs and updates.
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Desktop support specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage computer assets utilizing Symantec Altiris.
  • Manage schedule software/Security patch upgrades via SCCM.
  • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
  • Deploy McAfee anti-virus tools across enterprise.
  • Automate fixes for common errors using Powershell and batch scripting.
  • Document software processes and core conversion software installations for VDI.
  • Show more

Advanced technical support vs desktop support specialist skills

Common advanced technical support skills
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Technical Troubleshooting, 8%
  • Inbound Calls, 6%
  • Technical Issues, 5%
  • Technical Support, 5%
  • Windows, 4%
Common desktop support specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Desktop Support, 8%
  • Troubleshoot, 7%
  • PC, 6%
  • Technical Support, 5%
  • SCCM, 3%

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