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The differences between help desk specialists and information 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 an information specialist. Additionally, an information specialist has an average salary of $69,502, 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 an information specialist are patients, data entry, and customer service.
| Help Desk Specialist | Information Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $69,502 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $33.41 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 121,168 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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.
An information specialist is responsible for obtaining data through various strategies such as surveys, research, and analysis. It is essential to coordinate with different teams to learn their data needs and utilize them upon gathering. There may also be instances where an information specialist must work with other groups for tasks, such as building databases and networks. Furthermore, it is essential to ensure data integrity, protect their source's identities, adhere to all the company's policies and regulations, and abide by the state law when gathering information.
Help desk specialists and information specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Information Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $69,502 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $40,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | Crowell & Moring |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and an information specialist in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Information Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and information specialists' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Information Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% |
| 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, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |