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The differences between help desk managers and hardware 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 help desk manager and a hardware technician. Additionally, a help desk manager has an average salary of $96,278, which is higher than the $47,851 average annual salary of a hardware technician.
The top three skills for a help desk manager include customer service, technical support and help desk. The most important skills for a hardware technician are customer service, technical support, and network printers.
| Help Desk Manager | Hardware Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $96,278 | $47,851 |
| Hourly rate | $46.29 | $23.01 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,971 | 85,174 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A help desk manager oversees and coordinates the daily performance of help desk teams, ensuring clients get to receive optimal support and services. They are in charge of setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and timelines, performing assessments and inspections, and monitoring the progress of operations, resolving issues or conflicts should any arise. There are also instances when a help desk manager must facilitate the communication between internal and external parties, recruit and train new members of the workforce, and implement policies and procedures to optimize operations.
A hardware technician is typically in charge of providing technical support to clients or employees, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. In a company setting, a hardware technician is responsible for performing initial assessments on computer hardware, troubleshooting, diagnosing problems, and providing step by step solutions to solve the issues. They may also perform corrective repairs on problems and conduct regular maintenance checks to ensure the quality of equipment. Furthermore, as a hardware technician, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Help desk managers and hardware technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Manager | Hardware Technician | |
| Average salary | $96,278 | $47,851 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $125,000 | Between $32,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a help desk manager and a hardware technician in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Manager | Hardware Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between help desk managers' and hardware technicians' demographics:
| Help Desk Manager | Hardware Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.3% Female, 29.7% | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 12.0% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |