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The differences between network technicians and software 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 software support technician. Additionally, a software support technician has an average salary of $79,670, which is higher than the $68,938 average annual salary of a network technician.
The top three skills for a network technician include customer service, switches and troubleshoot. The most important skills for a software support technician are customer service, troubleshoot, and java.
| Network Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $68,938 | $79,670 |
| Hourly rate | $33.14 | $38.30 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 79,712 | 117,059 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| 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 software support technician is responsible for resolving software application issues, diagnosing related system failures, and writing resolution reports for reference. Software support technicians must be highly-familiarized with the system's infrastructure and interface to immediately diagnose malfunctions and identify maintenance techniques to prevent the reoccurrence of downtimes and delays. They also assist the system engineers in the configuration and optimization of networks, including the installment of upgrades and patch updates. A software support technician must have excellent organizational and communication skills, especially in navigating computer tools and applications to create support tickets and fix the customers' issues efficiently.
Network technicians and software support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $68,938 | $79,670 |
| Salary range | Between $51,000 And $92,000 | Between $55,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | RSM US |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a network technician and a software support technician in terms of educational background:
| Network Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between network technicians' and software support technicians' demographics:
| Network Technician | Software Support Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.3% Female, 12.7% | Male, 73.8% Female, 26.2% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |