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The differences between help desk specialists and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a help desk specialist, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Help Desk Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
The primary role of help desk specialists is to maintain relationships between the company and its customers. Their duties and responsibilities include responding to guests' queries, providing technical computer support, and maintaining computer systems' performance. Help desk specialists are also responsible for following up with customers to resolve issues and train computer users. There are several requirements to be qualified for this position, which include having relevant customer service experience, problem-solving and analytical skills, and the ability to prioritize vital tasks.
Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.
Help desk specialists and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 11.6% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |