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The differences between desktop service technicians and hardware technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a desktop service technician, becoming a hardware technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a desktop service technician has an average salary of $55,718, which is higher than the $47,851 average annual salary of a hardware technician.
The top three skills for a desktop service technician include PC, desktop support and voip. The most important skills for a hardware technician are customer service, technical support, and network printers.
| Desktop Service Technician | Hardware Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $55,718 | $47,851 |
| Hourly rate | $26.79 | $23.01 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 90,832 | 85,174 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Desktop service technicians and hardware technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop Service Technician | Hardware Technician | |
| Average salary | $55,718 | $47,851 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $77,000 | Between $32,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Delaware |
| Best paying company | - | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a desktop service technician and a hardware technician in terms of educational background:
| Desktop Service Technician | Hardware Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between desktop service technicians' and hardware technicians' demographics:
| Desktop Service Technician | Hardware Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4% | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 11% |