Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead technicians and information technology/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 lead technician and an information technology/support technician. Additionally, a lead technician has an average salary of $90,615, which is higher than the $45,591 average annual salary of an information technology/support technician.
The top three skills for a lead technician include java, architecture and digital transformation. The most important skills for an information technology/support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and computer system.
| Lead Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $90,615 | $45,591 |
| Hourly rate | $43.56 | $21.92 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 250,590 | 161,748 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Lead technicians are technicians who oversee the technical needs of a specific project or department. They are usually tenured employees, and their familiarity with the company's technical and technological processes, software, and hardware would be a great advantage in succeeding in their role. Lead technicians are responsible for installing, updating, and maintaining various software and hardware components in the office. They often manage a group of technicians, and they ensure that the group they manage is properly trained and well-versed on the processes of the company. Lead technicians are expected to have strong analytical skills and decision-making skills.
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.
Lead technicians and information technology/support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $90,615 | $45,591 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $121,000 | Between $31,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Meta | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead technician and an information technology/support technician in terms of educational background:
| Lead Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead technicians' and information technology/support technicians' demographics:
| Lead Technician | Information Technology/Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% | Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.1% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |