Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between desktop support consultants and desktop engineers 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 desktop engineer. Additionally, a desktop engineer has an average salary of $102,893, 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 desktop engineer are customer service, SCCM, and troubleshoot.
| Desktop Support Consultant | Desktop Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $46,733 | $102,893 |
| Hourly rate | $22.47 | $49.47 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,650 | 87,458 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| 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 desktop engineer is responsible for monitoring the efficiency and performance of computer systems across the organization to deliver high-performance on business operations and client specifications. Desktop engineers resolve computer desktop issues, including navigation and security complications that create delays in the operational process. They conduct regular maintenance with the computer systems, upgrade network infrastructure, and perform configuration to ensure smooth functionality and resolutions. A desktop engineer should have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, recommending system solutions to avoid the reoccurrence of network issues and glitches.
Desktop support consultants and desktop engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop Support Consultant | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average salary | $46,733 | $102,893 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $64,000 | Between $77,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | NTT Data International L.L.C. | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a desktop support consultant and a desktop engineer in terms of educational background:
| Desktop Support Consultant | Desktop Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between desktop support consultants' and desktop engineers' demographics:
| Desktop Support Consultant | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.0% Female, 15.0% | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 13.6% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |