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The differences between desktop support leads and 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 lead and a support specialist. Additionally, a desktop support lead has an average salary of $49,669, which is higher than the $40,782 average annual salary of a support specialist.
The top three skills for a desktop support lead include desktop support, PC and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a support specialist are customer service, patients, and mental health.
| Desktop Support Lead | Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $49,669 | $40,782 |
| Hourly rate | $23.88 | $19.61 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 87,522 | 125,740 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Desktop support leads and support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Desktop Support Lead | Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $49,669 | $40,782 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $70,000 | Between $25,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a desktop support lead and a support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Desktop Support Lead | Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between desktop support leads' and support specialists' demographics:
| Desktop Support Lead | Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |