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The differences between junior technicians and desk 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 technician and a desk support technician. Additionally, a desk support technician has an average salary of $40,715, which is higher than the $39,417 average annual salary of a junior technician.
The top three skills for a junior technician include customer service, HVAC and fall protection. The most important skills for a desk support technician are customer service, technical support, and troubleshoot.
| Junior Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,417 | $40,715 |
| Hourly rate | $18.95 | $19.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 103,780 | 130,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A junior technician is responsible for supporting senior technicians on maintaining the efficiency and optimal performance of various hardware and software systems and applications. Junior technicians assist the end-users and employees on troubleshooting inconsistent programs, identifying its complexities, and reporting findings to the management for resolution. They also update the systems' features to increase its operational productivity and maintain system recoveries. A junior technician must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a strong command on programming language and system codes, especially on conducting system analysis and installing applications.
A desktop support technician is responsible for assisting end-users with their network issues, grant authorization requests, and create user accounts. Desktop support technicians maintain the safety and security of networks, preventing unauthorized access and illegal dissemination of database information. They also handle the software configurations and upgrading the network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and operational delays. A desktop support technician must have excellent communication and technical skills to monitor systems performance and enhance network navigation.
Junior technicians and desk support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Junior Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,417 | $40,715 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $57,000 | Between $26,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Alexandria, VA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a junior technician and a desk support technician in terms of educational background:
| Junior Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between junior technicians' and desk support technicians' demographics:
| Junior Technician | Desk Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1% | Male, 82.6% Female, 17.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 11.7% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |