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The differences between advanced technicians and desktop support technicians 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 technician and a desktop support technician. Additionally, an advanced technician has an average salary of $49,302, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for an advanced technician include patients, patient care and customer service. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Advanced Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,302 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $23.70 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 78,364 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An advanced technician ensures that all tools, software, networks, and systems used in a company perform properly and adhere to policies and regulations. Their job is to monitor all company processes and to provide suggestions for improvements. An advanced technician must have a profound knowledge of all company systems as well as strong organizational skills.
A desktop support technician is responsible for troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
Advanced technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Advanced Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $49,302 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $82,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Manteca, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | General Electric | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Finance |
There are a few differences between an advanced technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Advanced Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between advanced technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Advanced Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.3% Female, 26.7% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |