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The differences between help desk engineers and help desk administrators 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 engineer and a help desk administrator. Additionally, a help desk engineer has an average salary of $52,444, which is higher than the $49,798 average annual salary of a help desk administrator.
The top three skills for a help desk engineer include troubleshoot, help-desk support and technical support. The most important skills for a help desk administrator are customer service, desk support, and troubleshoot.
| Help Desk Engineer | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $52,444 | $49,798 |
| Hourly rate | $25.21 | $23.94 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 100,003 | 130,180 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Help desk engineers solve problems. They have the technical know-how and have the right troubleshooting tools. They are required to set up computer hardware and software for users and events. When individuals have a certain issue or problem relating to their computer, they bring it to the help desk engineer, who then analyzes and provides a solution. Furthermore, they attend to the issues registered by clients via emails, chats, instant messages, or phone calls.
Help desk administrator is responsible for handling activities related to system support for their company or organization. They are in charge of providing superb client experiences and working in resolving support issues in a professional and timely manner. One of their primary tasks includes providing login resets and passwords for end-users. In addition, they will also perform innovative systems and network repairs, as well as assist computer information responses as required. Moreover, they support complete equipment set-up, renewal, or termination of a user account, handle server, and domain account changes.
Help desk engineers and help desk administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Engineer | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Average salary | $52,444 | $49,798 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $74,000 | Between $34,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Radnor, PA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Bain & Company | Houlihan Lokey |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a help desk engineer and a help desk administrator in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Engineer | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk engineers' and help desk administrators' demographics:
| Help Desk Engineer | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 12.2% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |