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The differences between help desk specialists and help desk administrators 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 help desk administrator. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $49,798 average annual salary of a help desk administrator.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for a help desk administrator are customer service, desk support, and troubleshoot.
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $49,798 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $23.94 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 130,180 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| 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.
Help desk administrator is responsible for handling activities related to system support for their company or organization. They are in charge of providing superb client experiences and working in resolving support issues in a professional and timely manner. One of their primary tasks includes providing login resets and passwords for end-users. In addition, they will also perform innovative systems and network repairs, as well as assist computer information responses as required. Moreover, they support complete equipment set-up, renewal, or termination of a user account, handle server, and domain account changes.
Help desk specialists and help desk administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $49,798 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $34,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | Houlihan Lokey |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and a help desk administrator in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and help desk administrators' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Help Desk Administrator | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 74.3% Female, 25.7% |
| 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, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |