Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between computer system specialists and 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 system specialist and a support specialist. Additionally, a computer system specialist has an average salary of $71,716, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist.
The top three skills for a computer system specialist include computer system, troubleshoot and CSV. The most important skills for a support specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| Computer System Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $71,716 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $34.48 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 89,673 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Computer system specialists are responsible for providing technical guidance in developing and troubleshooting a company's computer systems. They adjust the software to provide the database needs of every department in the company. These specialists manage the intranet and internet websites the network users can access and test for system issues to resolve. They serve as lead workers that provide supervision and training over clerical and technical staff on how the system functions. Their duties also include gathering feedback from users to update the system to provide for their needs.
A support specialist is responsible for assisting technical and administrative support, depending on the business need. Support specialists must have extensive knowledge of the services of the organization they work for to assist customers with their inquiries and resolve complaints efficiently. A support specialist maintains documents of issue resolution, providing recommendations to improve business strategies and procedures. Support specialists must be well-versed on technology systems, perform basic troubleshooting, and secure databases. They should also have impeccable customer service and communication skills to attend with customers' needs and requests.
Computer system specialists and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Computer System Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $71,716 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $102,000 | Between $25,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | New York |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a computer system specialist and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Computer System Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between computer system specialists' and support specialists' demographics:
| Computer System Specialist | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |