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The differences between escalation engineers 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 an escalation engineer and a desktop engineer. Additionally, an escalation engineer has an average salary of $109,368, which is higher than the $102,893 average annual salary of a desktop engineer.
The top three skills for an escalation engineer include cloud, azure and linux. The most important skills for a desktop engineer are customer service, SCCM, and troubleshoot.
| Escalation Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $109,368 | $102,893 |
| Hourly rate | $52.58 | $49.47 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 53,911 | 87,458 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The escalation engineer is the person who takes charge of a network system that experiences high levels of activities at peak times. Congested networks may result in problems and delays, in which the escalation engineer resolves issues related to increased activity on a given network. The escalation engineer collects information, analyzes data, and generates reports and recommendations to improve the system better. The smooth flow of activities in a hectic environment often rests on a few people, including the escalation engineer.
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.
Escalation engineers and desktop engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Escalation Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average salary | $109,368 | $102,893 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $148,000 | Between $77,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Ropes & Gray |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an escalation engineer and a desktop engineer in terms of educational background:
| Escalation Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | 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 escalation engineers' and desktop engineers' demographics:
| Escalation Engineer | Desktop Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3% | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 13.2% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 9% | 11% |