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The differences between help desk specialists and desktop 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 specialist and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Help Desk Specialist | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| 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 desktop support technician is responsible for troubleshooting defective computer systems, affecting its performance and efficiency. Desktop support technicians must be highly familiar with the technology systems and programming codes to navigate system applications and locate the discrepancy of the system. They keep documentation of the ticket issue and the resolution for reference and quality improvement. A desktop support technician also configures and updates computer systems and networks for better optimization, as well as conducting regular inspections and monitoring the efficiency of installed programs and patches.
Help desk specialists and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| 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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 11.7% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |