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The differences between junior help desk 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 a junior help desk technician and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a junior help desk technician has an average salary of $48,069, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for a junior help desk technician include escalate, help-desk support and technical support. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Junior Help Desk Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $48,069 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $23.11 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 104,343 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A junior helpdesk technician is responsible for providing technical support to clients through calls or correspondence, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. They typically assist customers by identifying their needs, troubleshooting problems, providing step by step solutions, and forwarding complicated issues to helpdesk engineers. They may also refer customers to other services should it require. Furthermore, a junior helpdesk technician must maintain records of all transactions, produce progress reports, and develop strategies to help the company build positive relationships with customers.
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.
Junior help desk technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Help Desk Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $48,069 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $65,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Freehold, NJ | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Prolifics | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Finance |
There are a few differences between a junior help desk technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Junior Help Desk Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | SUNY Farmingdale | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between junior help desk technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Junior Help Desk Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.2% 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% |