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The differences between field systems technicians and desk 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 systems technician and a desk support technician. Additionally, a field systems technician has an average salary of $42,822, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.
The top three skills for a field systems technician include troubleshoot, POS and support issues. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Field Systems Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $42,822 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $20.59 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 175,599 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Field system technician is the one responsible for the on-site installation, repairs, programming, and maintenance of the telecommunication wiring systems in various locations. They frequently travel to the sites where the telephone tower is positioned to provide their services. They possess good communication skills to work with and know the clients' complaints and solve them quickly as they can as well as the strength and agility to lift their equipment used. They can install various electrical accessories such as headphones to improve the clientele's experience.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Field systems technicians and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Field Systems Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $42,822 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $61,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a field systems technician and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Field Systems Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between field systems technicians' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Field Systems Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |