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The differences between computer repair technicians and customer 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 a computer repair technician and a customer support technician. Additionally, a customer support technician has an average salary of $36,361, which is higher than the $32,627 average annual salary of a computer repair technician.
The top three skills for a computer repair technician include troubleshoot, laptop computers and computer system. The most important skills for a customer support technician are customer service, customer support, and SQL.
| Computer Repair Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $32,627 | $36,361 |
| Hourly rate | $15.69 | $17.48 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 109,196 | 117,102 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A computer repair technician installs, repairs, and maintains different computer equipment. Computer repair technicians repair and maintain computers and their servers. The technicians are responsible for configuring and building new hardware as well as installing and updating software packages. They have to be updated on the ever-evolving technology for certain job analysis and troubleshooting. Good computer repair technicians are investigative who are introspective, inquisitive, and intellectual. They are also methodical, logical, rational, and curious.
A customer support technician is responsible for resolving customer complaints with their network issues through remote communication, providing the customers with a step-by-step procedure to fix their systems. Customer support technicians assist the customers in setting up their programs and applications, guiding them with the instructional manuals, and responding to the inquiries and concerns they have. They also escalate high-level complaints to the immediate supervisor as needed while monitoring system solutions and creating technical tickets.
Computer repair technicians and customer support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Computer Repair Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $32,627 | $36,361 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $41,000 | Between $23,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Saint Paul, MN | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES | Adobe |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a computer repair technician and a customer support technician in terms of educational background:
| Computer Repair Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between computer repair technicians' and customer support technicians' demographics:
| Computer Repair Technician | Customer Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% | Male, 66.1% Female, 33.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.7% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |