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The differences between help desk representatives and information technology/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 help desk representative and an information technology/support technician. Additionally, an information technology/support technician has an average salary of $45,591, which is higher than the $37,449 average annual salary of a help desk representative.
The top three skills for a help desk representative include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for an information technology/support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and computer system.
| Help Desk Representative | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $37,449 | $45,591 |
| Hourly rate | $18.00 | $21.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 51,501 | 161,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A help desk representative mainly provides client support services through face-to-face interactions, aiming to resolve issues and concerns to ensure client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include answering inquiries, assisting clients in filling up forms, identifying their needs, providing detailed solutions, and referring them to other services as needed. Aside from face-to-face interactions, there are also instances where a help desk representative may provide services through calls and correspondence, troubleshoot problems, and provide step-by-step instructions according to the clients' needs.
An information technology (IT) support technician is an individual who is responsible for providing support and troubleshoots software and hardware problems faced by customers. As for larger organizations that have their own IT department, technicians must work together internally with their IT staff members. IT support technicians are involved in inspecting and resolving minor local area network and wireless network issues, which include TCP/IP, DHCP, and VPN. They are also required to obtain an associate's degree in computer science or related field.
Help desk representatives and information technology/support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Representative | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $37,449 | $45,591 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $48,000 | Between $31,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Stow, OH | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | City of Jacksonville | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a help desk representative and an information technology/support technician in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Representative | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between help desk representatives' and information technology/support technicians' demographics:
| Help Desk Representative | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.0% Female, 48.0% | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 13.2% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |