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The differences between desktop support consultants 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 desktop support consultant and a computer support specialist. Additionally, a computer support specialist has an average salary of $63,926, which is higher than the $46,733 average annual salary of a desktop support consultant.
The top three skills for a desktop support consultant include desktop support, customer service and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Desktop Support Consultant | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $46,733 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $22.47 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,650 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The duties of a desk support consultant vary on their line of work or industry of employment. Most of their responsibilities are likely to revolve around reaching out to clients through calls and correspondence, answering inquiries, troubleshooting, and providing corrective measures, all to attain customer satisfaction. Moreover, a desk support consultant may devise strategies to better communicate with clients, produce progress reports, and maintain accurate records of all transactions. Furthermore, it is essential to adhere to all policies and regulations at all times.
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.
Desktop support consultants and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop Support Consultant | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $46,733 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $64,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Washington |
| Best paying company | NTT Data International L.L.C. | |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a desktop support consultant and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Desktop Support Consultant | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between desktop support consultants' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| Desktop Support Consultant | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 13.5% White, 54.4% 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% |