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The differences between desktop/network supports and technical 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 desktop/network support and a technical support technician. Additionally, a desktop/network support has an average salary of $49,480, which is higher than the $40,210 average annual salary of a technical support technician.
The top three skills for a desktop/network support include customer service, technical support and software applications. The most important skills for a technical support technician are customer service, technical support, and patients.
| Desktop/Network Support | Technical Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,480 | $40,210 |
| Hourly rate | $23.79 | $19.33 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 119,310 | 165,677 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A desktop/network support is responsible for assisting end-users and customers on their computer and network issues, performing troubleshooting procedures, and guiding them with the step-by-step resolution. Desktop/network supports handle system configuration and upgrades of network components to increase efficiency and optimal performance. They also identify the source of defects by asking questions and creating support tickets for the users. A desktop/network support must have excellent technical and communication skills, especially in writing resolution reports for reference to avoid the reoccurrence of system malfunctions.
Technical support technicians are skilled professionals who resolve computer or information technology-related concerns. They may do installations, repairs, or maintenance activities of various applications or computer hardware. They are sometimes assigned specific issues or concerns to resolve so that they will not be bombarded with various issues. This means that they can now specialize in a specific family of concerns. Technical support technicians may provide on-site support, going directly to the person who needs help and doing what needs to be done or troubleshoot the problem in person. They may also be offsite and would usually be manning helpdesk hotlines. Offsite technical support technicians walk the caller through the steps they should do to fix the issues. As such, when a technical support technician is offsite, they are expected to be good communicators and will be able to provide clear instructions.
Desktop/network supports and technical support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop/Network Support | Technical Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $49,480 | $40,210 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $68,000 | Between $24,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Visa | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a desktop/network support and a technical support technician in terms of educational background:
| Desktop/Network Support | Technical Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between desktop/network supports' and technical support technicians' demographics:
| Desktop/Network Support | Technical Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2% | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |