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The differences between help desk engineers 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 engineer and a technical support specialist. Additionally, a help desk engineer has an average salary of $52,444, which is higher than the $48,667 average annual salary of a technical support specialist.
The top three skills for a help desk engineer include troubleshoot, help-desk support and technical support. The most important skills for a technical support specialist are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Help Desk Engineer | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $52,444 | $48,667 |
| Hourly rate | $25.21 | $23.40 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 100,003 | 157,425 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.6 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| 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.
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 engineers and technical support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Engineer | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $52,444 | $48,667 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $74,000 | Between $30,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Radnor, PA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Bain & Company | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a help desk engineer and a technical support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Engineer | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk engineers' and technical support specialists' demographics:
| Help Desk Engineer | Technical Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2% | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% |
| 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, 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% |