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The differences between information technology/support technicians 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 an information technology/support technician and a desktop support technician. Additionally, an information technology/support technician has an average salary of $45,591, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for an information technology/support technician include customer service, troubleshoot and computer system. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Information Technology/Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $45,591 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $21.92 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 161,748 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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.
Information technology/support technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Technology/Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $45,591 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $66,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between an information technology/support technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Information Technology/Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | 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 information technology/support technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Information Technology/Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |