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The differences between applications 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 applications technician and a desktop support technician. Additionally, an applications technician has an average salary of $87,091, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for an applications technician include troubleshoot, technical support and customer satisfaction. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Applications Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $87,091 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $41.87 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 88,812 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Applications technicians are professionals who are responsible for providing technical support to the team that is involved in developing business systems applications. These technicians must possess understanding and knowledge in software applications so that they can help users by conducting software training and compiling training manuals. They are required to perform troubleshooting procedures for the propriety business applications and services of the company. Applications technicians must also conduct testing for development trials of their applications.
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.
Applications technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $87,091 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $126,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Occidental Petroleum | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Finance |
There are a few differences between an applications technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Applications Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between applications technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Applications Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.6% 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% |