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The differences between help desk specialists and computer 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 specialist and a computer support specialist. Additionally, a computer support specialist has an average salary of $63,926, which is higher than the $51,065 average annual salary of a help desk specialist.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Help Desk Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A Computer Support Specialist is responsible for providing the highest customer service for clients with technical and system issues, resolving network failures, and creating support tickets for IT personnel. Computer Support Specialists utilize various system tools and applications to diagnose end-users network issues and conduct immediate troubleshooting. They also help the IT staff design and improve system features and infrastructures and create instructional manuals for deliverables. A Computer Support Specialist must have excellent technical and communication skills to document customers' requests and identify system solutions.
Help desk specialists and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |