Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between computer support technicians and computer 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 a computer support technician and a computer support specialist. Additionally, a computer support specialist has an average salary of $63,926, which is higher than the $41,852 average annual salary of a computer support technician.
The top three skills for a computer support technician include customer service, technical support and computer support. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Computer Support Technician | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $41,852 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $20.12 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 121,180 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A computer support technician is responsible for diagnosing and resolving computer and network issues, identifying the source of malfunctions, and improving infrastructure to avoid downtimes and operational delays. Computer support technicians manage the efficiency of all equipment and peripherals for the computers, assist in installing components, and keeping adequate resources or alternatives for defective items. They also recommend minimal costs technology materials and create troubleshooting manuals for reference, ensuring that the network processes adhere to internal guidelines and regulations.
A Computer Support Specialist is responsible for providing the highest customer service for clients with technical and system issues, resolving network failures, and creating support tickets for IT personnel. Computer Support Specialists utilize various system tools and applications to diagnose end-users network issues and conduct immediate troubleshooting. They also help the IT staff design and improve system features and infrastructures and create instructional manuals for deliverables. A Computer Support Specialist must have excellent technical and communication skills to document customers' requests and identify system solutions.
Computer support technicians and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Computer Support Technician | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $41,852 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $51,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Lompoc, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a computer support technician and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Computer Support Technician | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between computer support technicians' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| Computer Support Technician | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |