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The differences between desktop support contractors and help desk 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 contractor and a help desk specialist. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $43,977 average annual salary of a desktop support contractor.
The top three skills for a desktop support contractor include desktop support, laptop computers and PC. The most important skills for a help desk specialist are customer service, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Desktop Support Contractor | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $43,977 | $51,065 |
| Hourly rate | $21.14 | $24.55 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 110,472 | 75,004 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Desktop support contractors and help desk specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop Support Contractor | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Average salary | $43,977 | $51,065 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $65,000 | Between $35,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Schulte Roth & Zabel |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a desktop support contractor and a help desk specialist in terms of educational background:
| Desktop Support Contractor | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between desktop support contractors' and help desk specialists' demographics:
| Desktop Support Contractor | Help Desk Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.6% Female, 8.4% | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 10.9% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |