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The differences between field support technicians and desktop 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 desktop support technician. Additionally, a field support technician has an average salary of $42,440, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for a field support technician include customer service, user support and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Field Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,440 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $20.40 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 161,037 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| 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 desktop support technician is responsible for troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
Field support technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,440 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $62,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgewater, NJ | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | HP | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Finance |
There are a few differences between a field support technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Field Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between field support technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Field Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |