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The differences between hardware specialists and desktop 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 hardware specialist and a desktop support specialist. Additionally, a hardware specialist has an average salary of $79,167, which is higher than the $44,962 average annual salary of a desktop support specialist.
The top three skills for a hardware specialist include plumbing, configuration management and printers. The most important skills for a desktop support specialist are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Hardware Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $79,167 | $44,962 |
| Hourly rate | $38.06 | $21.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 72,306 | 102,191 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Hardware specialists and desktop support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $79,167 | $44,962 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $112,000 | Between $33,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a hardware specialist and a desktop support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between hardware specialists' and desktop support specialists' demographics:
| Hardware Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.7% Female, 12.3% | Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |