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The differences between operations support 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 an operations support technician and a desktop support technician. Additionally, a desktop support technician has an average salary of $41,792, which is higher than the $38,086 average annual salary of an operations support technician.
The top three skills for an operations support technician include operations support, technical support and data entry. The most important skills for a desktop support technician are customer service, desktop support, and troubleshoot.
| Operations Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,086 | $41,792 |
| Hourly rate | $18.31 | $20.09 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 157,716 | 108,944 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 1 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An operations support technician primarily performs support tasks to assist teams in various duties and maintain smooth workflow operations. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their industry or company of employment, it usually includes performing research and analysis, monitoring stock inventories, replenishing supplies, preparing and processing documentation, conducting installation and repairs, and liaising with internal and external parties. In some situations, an operations support technician may also handle and assist clients by answering inquiries and resolving issues.
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.
Operations support technicians and desktop support technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operations Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,086 | $41,792 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $58,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | California | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Apple | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Government | Finance |
There are a few differences between an operations support technician and a desktop support technician in terms of educational background:
| Operations Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Information Systems |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between operations support technicians' and desktop support technicians' demographics:
| Operations Support Technician | Desktop Support Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.8% Female, 34.2% | Male, 89.8% Female, 10.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 11.5% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 11% | 11% |