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The differences between help desk specialists and information technology/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 an information technology/support technician. Additionally, a help desk specialist has an average salary of $51,065, which is higher than the $45,591 average annual salary of an information technology/support technician.
The top three skills for a help desk specialist include customer service, troubleshoot and technical support. The most important skills for an information technology/support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and computer system.
| Help Desk Specialist | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,065 | $45,591 |
| Hourly rate | $24.55 | $21.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 75,004 | 161,748 |
| 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.
An information technology (IT) support technician is an individual who is responsible for providing support and troubleshoots software and hardware problems faced by customers. As for larger organizations that have their own IT department, technicians must work together internally with their IT staff members. IT support technicians are involved in inspecting and resolving minor local area network and wireless network issues, which include TCP/IP, DHCP, and VPN. They are also required to obtain an associate's degree in computer science or related field.
Help desk specialists and information technology/support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Help Desk Specialist | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,065 | $45,591 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $31,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Schulte Roth & Zabel | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a help desk specialist and an information technology/support technician in terms of educational background:
| Help Desk Specialist | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between help desk specialists' and information technology/support technicians' demographics:
| Help Desk Specialist | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% |
| 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, 10.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 13.2% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |