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The differences between field support technicians and computer support technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a field support technician and a computer support technician. Additionally, a field support technician has an average salary of $42,440, which is higher than the $41,852 average annual salary of a computer support technician.
The top three skills for a field support technician include customer service, user support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a computer support technician are customer service, technical support, and computer support.
| Field Support Technician | Computer Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,440 | $41,852 |
| Hourly rate | $20.40 | $20.12 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 161,037 | 121,180 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A field service technician is working on-call to provide emergency services and test equipment devices for safety purposes and quality control. They are responsible for working with clients to prevent, troubleshoot, and repair issues. They help clients on how to install, maintain, and diagnose equipment for repair. They also present to clients how to properly use their equipment. It is also part of their job to provide training to clients in line with safety standards and regulations.
A computer support technician is responsible for diagnosing and resolving computer and network issues, identifying the source of malfunctions, and improving infrastructure to avoid downtimes and operational delays. Computer support technicians manage the efficiency of all equipment and peripherals for the computers, assist in installing components, and keeping adequate resources or alternatives for defective items. They also recommend minimal costs technology materials and create troubleshooting manuals for reference, ensuring that the network processes adhere to internal guidelines and regulations.
Field support technicians and computer support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Support Technician | Computer Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,440 | $41,852 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $62,000 | Between $34,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgewater, NJ | Lompoc, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | HP | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a field support technician and a computer support technician in terms of educational background:
| Field Support Technician | Computer Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between field support technicians' and computer support technicians' demographics:
| Field Support Technician | Computer Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5% | Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |