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The differences between information support specialists and desktop 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 an information support specialist and a desktop support specialist. Additionally, an information support specialist has an average salary of $65,414, which is higher than the $44,962 average annual salary of a desktop support specialist.
The top three skills for an information support specialist include PC, technical support and desktop support. The most important skills for a desktop support specialist are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Information Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $65,414 | $44,962 |
| Hourly rate | $31.45 | $21.62 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 149,313 | 102,191 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An Information Support Specialist is responsible for providing software and network support. They install, configure, and troubleshoot a wide range of software used by a company.
A Desktop Support Specialist is focused on troubleshooting different software packages, hardware devices, and other peripherals. They monitor the performance of the company's desktop infrastructure.
Information support specialists and desktop support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $65,414 | $44,962 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $95,000 | Between $33,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Cornerstone Research |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an information support specialist and a desktop support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Information Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between information support specialists' and desktop support specialists' demographics:
| Information Support Specialist | Desktop Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1% | Male, 87.6% Female, 12.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 12.3% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |