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The differences between hardware support 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 hardware support technician and a desk support technician. Additionally, a hardware support technician has an average salary of $41,832, which is higher than the $40,715 average annual salary of a desk support technician.
The top three skills for a hardware support technician include hardware support, technical support and customer service. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Hardware Support Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,832 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $20.11 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 111,104 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A hardware support technician is an individual who deals with hardware problems and tries to provide solutions to clients' problems. As a professional, you are tasked with providing IT support to organizations and may have to work with computer hardware, servers, and computer clusters. As someone who is a hardware support technician, your job description may require you to help with the installation and maintenance of computer systems. You may also be required to provide troubleshooting solutions and repair computer hardware.
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.
Hardware support technicians and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Support Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,832 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $54,000 | 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 hardware support technician and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Support Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between hardware support technicians' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Hardware Support Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 12.1% White, 54.3% 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% |