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The differences between help desk analysts and technical 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 help desk analyst and a technical support specialist. Additionally, a technical support specialist has an average salary of $48,667, which is higher than the $37,318 average annual salary of a help desk analyst.
The top three skills for a help desk analyst include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a technical support specialist are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Help Desk Analyst | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $37,318 | $48,667 |
| Hourly rate | $17.94 | $23.40 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 87,591 | 157,425 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.6 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Help Desk Analysts generally provide technical support by assisting customers with their system issues. These analysts are expected to be highly knowledgeable about application processes and basic troubleshooting. Help Desk Analysts usually communicate with end-users through phone calls or e-mail and are required to attend on customers technical issues promptly. Depending on the expertise, the Help Desk Analysts are often categorized to support levels wherein the most complex issues are often handle by the highest tier. The Help Desk Analysts must have critical-thinking skills on solving network problems and document specific concerns and progress.
A technical support specialist is responsible for assisting customer's and businesses' concerns and system issues by performing troubleshooting and remote solutions. These specialists must have extensive knowledge of system applications, including software and hardware database to handle complex processes that might affect the end user's experience or the business' daily operations. Technical support specialists should maintain excellent communication skills to guide the client and business on solving network problems. They must also document concerns and progress promptly for reference and quality checks.
Help desk analysts and technical support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Analyst | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $37,318 | $48,667 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $52,000 | Between $30,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between a help desk analyst and a technical support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Analyst | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Computer Information Systems | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk analysts' and technical support specialists' demographics:
| Help Desk Analyst | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 71.8% Female, 28.2% | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 11.1% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |