Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between junior information technology specialists and computer 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 a junior information technology specialist and a computer support specialist. Additionally, a computer support specialist has an average salary of $63,926, which is higher than the $46,556 average annual salary of a junior information technology specialist.
The top three skills for a junior information technology specialist include troubleshoot, switches and NAT. The most important skills for a computer support specialist are computer support, troubleshoot, and technical support.
| Junior Information Technology Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $46,556 | $63,926 |
| Hourly rate | $22.38 | $30.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 143,114 | 114,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A junior information technology specialist installs and repairs computer hardware and software systems in a company, ensuring quality and efficiency. Their responsibilities include handling computer components, developing test structures, troubleshooting issues, eliminating bugs, and performing security and maintenance checks to ensure that all networks and data are safe and secured. There are also instances when they must produce progress reports and train new members of the workforce. Moreover, they must provide technical support to employees while implementing the company's information technology policies and regulations.
A Computer Support Specialist is responsible for providing the highest customer service for clients with technical and system issues, resolving network failures, and creating support tickets for IT personnel. Computer Support Specialists utilize various system tools and applications to diagnose end-users network issues and conduct immediate troubleshooting. They also help the IT staff design and improve system features and infrastructures and create instructional manuals for deliverables. A Computer Support Specialist must have excellent technical and communication skills to document customers' requests and identify system solutions.
Junior information technology specialists and computer support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Information Technology Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $46,556 | $63,926 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $57,000 | Between $44,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a junior information technology specialist and a computer support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Junior Information Technology Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between junior information technology specialists' and computer support specialists' demographics:
| Junior Information Technology Specialist | Computer Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.8% Female, 19.2% | Male, 80.1% Female, 19.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 13.2% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |