Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between network 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 network technician and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a network technician has an average salary of $68,938, which is higher than the $41,792 average annual salary of a desktop support technician.
The top three skills for a network technician include customer service, switches and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Network Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $68,938 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $33.14 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 79,712 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A network technician is responsible for system malfunction diagnosis and troubleshooting operations. Network technicians duties' include repairing damaged system components, analyzing computer systems and blueprints, installing network connections, and upgrading accessories for efficient operations. Other duties include assisting customers with technical issues, ensuring computer systems' privacy, creating documents of network issues and resolutions, and suggesting alternative equipment for network backups. A network technician must have a broad knowledge of the technology industry and mechanical processes, plus the ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision.
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.
Network technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $68,938 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $92,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Apple | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a network technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Network Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | 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 network technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Network Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.4% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 9% | 11% |